Bloomipedia
Leafy elephant's-foot (Elephantopus carolinianus)
Photo: Brighton Lee via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized

Flower profile

Leafy elephant's-foot

Elephantopus carolinianus

Leafy elephant's-foot (Elephantopus carolinianus) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly August–September across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Leafy elephant's-foot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–September.

23states where USDA records it
3Bloomipedia state lists include it
9,585U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri

Quick look

Elephantopus carolinianus, with the common names Carolina elephantsfoot or leafy elephant's foot, is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the south-central and southeastern United States.

  • It belongs to the Asteraceae 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 23 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas. NatureServe
  • In Kentucky, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid summer. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2.7 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 713 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #96 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 637 research-grade sightings of it in Kentucky, ranking #100 among the 178 flowers on our Kentucky list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 563 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #103 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (890 records)
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
MissouriNativefew records (47)713
KentuckyNativeJuly–September637
ArkansasNativeAugust–September563

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
Kentucky
Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. 400 KAR 3:040
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NJ (SH). (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 leafy elephant's-foot in 23 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Barry, Barton, Bollinger, Boone, Butler, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cedar, Christian, Clay, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Dunklin, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Howard, Howell, Iron, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Madison, Maries, McDonald, Mississippi, New Madrid, Newton, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Pemiscot, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Stone, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wright.

Kentucky counties with USDA records: Adair, Allen, Anderson, Ballard, Barren, Bath, Bell, Boyle, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crittenden, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Fulton, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Hardin, Harlan, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Lee, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Marshall, McCreary, McLean, Meade, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Oldham, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Taylor, Todd, Trigg, Warren, Washington, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Crittenden, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Yell.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Leafy elephant's-foot a high shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.0 to 7.2 and winter lows down to -13 °F.

Shade tolerance
High
Drought tolerance
Medium
Moisture use
Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to
coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range
5.0 to 7.2
Minimum temperature tolerated
-13 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
165
Annual precipitation range
32 to 55 inches
Minimum root depth
10 inches
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Growth rate
Rapid
Lifespan
Moderate
Active growth period
Summer
Fruit or seed
Brown · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by
seed
Commercial availability
No Known Source

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for ELCA3. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Elephantopus flexuosus, Elephantopus violaceus.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 785 counties across 23 states; the most are in Virginia (81), Kentucky (70), North Carolina (64).

Other Elephantopus on Bloomipedia (1): Common elephant's-foot.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Missouri flowers

White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)

White snakeroot

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🌼 Blooms in MO: September–October
Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: June–September
Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)

Wingstem

Verbesina alternifolia

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🌼 Blooms in MO: August–September

Sources