Flower profile

Hoary puccoon

Lithospermum canescens

Hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) is a flowering plant in the Boraginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Hoary puccoon is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

28states where USDA records it

4Bloomipedia state lists include it

8,132U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Lithospermum canescens, or the hoary puccoon is a perennial herb endemic to eastern North America. The plant grows in a variety of habitats. It has golden yellow flowers which bloom from April to May.
From Wikipedia's article Lithospermum canescens, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 28 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,062 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #63 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 264 research-grade sightings of it in Iowa, ranking #100 among the 147 flowers on our Iowa list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 194 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #75 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,649 records)

Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Missouri	Native	April–May	1,062
Iowa	Native	few records (48)	264
South Dakota	Native	few records (21)	194
North Dakota	Native	few records (24)	82

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Iowa: Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. ^{IAC 571-77.3}
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: LA (S1), NC (S2), NJ (SX), PA (S2), SC (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records hoary puccoon in 28 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Bollinger, Boone, Caldwell, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Iron, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Perry, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Reynolds, Ripley, Saline, Schuyler, Shannon, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wright.

Iowa counties with USDA records: Adair, Audubon, Boone, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Madison, Mills, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Page, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Union, Washington, Webster, Woodbury.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Bennett, Brookings, Clay, Codington, Day, Deuel, Gregory, Hamlin, Hutchinson, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Yankton.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Batschia canescens.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 699 counties across 26 states; the most are in Missouri (95), Illinois (83), Minnesota (80).

Other Lithospermum on Bloomipedia (4): Narrowleaf puccoon, Hairy puccoon, Manyflowered gromwell, Western false gromwell.

More from the Boraginaceae family (42 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Virginia bluebells, Virginia waterleaf, Pacific hound's tongue, Distant phacelia, Alkali heliotrope, Virginia stickseed, Wild comfrey, Menzies' baby blue eyes.

More Missouri flowers

Virginia bluebells

Mertensia virginica

Native

🌼 Blooms in MO: March–April

Wild comfrey

Andersonglossum virginianum

🌼 Few flowering records in MO

Amur honeysuckle

Lonicera maackii

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: April–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LICA12.
iNaturalist, Lithospermum canescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Lithospermum canescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Iowa: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3).
Iowa: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Lithospermum canescens (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Scott Loarie via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.