Flower profile

Leafy elephant's-foot

Elephantopus carolinianus

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 July–October.

23states

3of our state lists

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.
From Wikipedia's article Elephantopus carolinianus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–September. ^iNaturalist
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 #95 among the 109 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 637 research-grade sightings of it in Kentucky, ranking #98 among the 110 flowers on our Kentucky list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 563 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #100 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

Leafy elephant's-foot gift ideas

Handmade leafy elephant's-foot gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Leafy elephant's-foot art print
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Leafy elephant's-foot greeting card
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Leafy elephant's-foot mug
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Leafy elephant's-foot earrings
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Leafy elephant's-foot embroidery pattern
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Leafy elephant's-foot sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (890 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Missouri	Native	August–September	713
Kentucky	Native	July–September	637
Arkansas	Native	August–September	563

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.

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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.

More Missouri flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

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🌼 Blooms in MO: May–June

Goldenrods

Solidago

★ KY state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: July–October

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in MO: August–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ELCA3.
iNaturalist, Elephantopus carolinianus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Elephantopus carolinianus (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).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Elephantopus carolinianus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Brighton Lee via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.