Flower profile

Pacific hound's tongue

Adelinia grandis

Pacific hound's tongue (Adelinia grandis) is a flowering plant in the Boraginaceae family, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.

Pacific hound's tongue is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.

–states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

21,630U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: California, Oregon

Quick look

Adelinia grandis, previously known as Cynoglossum grande, is a species of flowering plant commonly known as hound's tongue in the borage family. It is the only species in the genus Adelinia.
From Wikipedia's article Adelinia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to California and Oregon. ^NatureServe
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. ^iNaturalist
In Oregon, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 19,048 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #25 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,252 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #75 among the 184 flowers on our Oregon list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (6,164 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	Native	February–April	19,048
Oregon	Native	March–May	2,252

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
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
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)) 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.