Flower profile

Hound's-tongue

Cynoglossum officinale

Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) is a flowering plant in the Boraginaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Hound's-tongue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.

43states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

9,053U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Colorado: List B noxious weed; Utah: Class 3 noxious weed (containment); Montana: Priority 2B noxious weed; Idaho: Statewide containment noxious weed; Wyoming: State designated noxious weed). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{8 CCR 1206-2 R68-9-3 ARM 4.5.206–210 IDAPA 02.06.09 WY designated noxious weeds}

Quick look

Cynoglossum officinale is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae.
From Wikipedia's article Cynoglossum officinale, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 43 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,147 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #75 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,390 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #30 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 971 research-grade sightings of it in Montana, ranking #29 among the 128 flowers on our Montana list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (455 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Introduced	May–June	2,147
Utah	Introduced	May–July	1,390
Montana	Introduced	few records (28)	971
Idaho	Introduced	few records (24)	907
Wyoming	Introduced	few records (25)	647
South Dakota	Introduced	few records (14)	431

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Utah.
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Montana.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Idaho.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Wyoming.
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: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in South Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Cynoglossum amabile (“Hound's Tongue”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 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 hound's-tongue in 43 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, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Boulder, Costilla, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Larimer, Las Animas, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Juab, Millard, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Weber.

Montana counties with USDA records: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Hill, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Rosebud, Sanders, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Valley, Wheatland, Yellowstone.

Names, range and relatives

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

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 709 counties across 38 states; the most are in Ohio (60), Illinois (59), Michigan (47).

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 Colorado flowers

Silky phacelia

Phacelia sericea

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–July

Prairie bluebells

Mertensia lanceolata

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: April–June

Miner's candle

Oreocarya virgata

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CYOF.
iNaturalist, Cynoglossum officinale: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cynoglossum officinale (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cynoglossum officinale (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: John Brew via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.