Flower profile

Star chickweed

Stellaria pubera

Native in the lower 48

Star chickweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

24states

8of our state lists

17,408U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Quick look

Stellaria pubera, commonly called the star chickweed, is a spring-flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae, native to the eastern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Stellaria pubera, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae 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 24 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Virginia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,686 research-grade sightings of it in Virginia, ranking #26 among the 110 flowers on our Virginia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,212 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #47 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,215 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #51 among the 110 flowers on our Maryland list. ^iNaturalist

Star chickweed gift ideas

Handmade star chickweed gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,361 records)

Bloom time in each of our 8 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Virginia	Native	March–May	4,686
North Carolina	Native	March–May	3,212
Maryland	Native	March–May	2,215
Tennessee	Native	March–April	1,702
Kentucky	Native	March–April	1,202
Georgia	Native	March–May	1,172
Indiana	Native	March–May	766
West Virginia	Native	March–May	745

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
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: S5, secure in Virginia. ^2VAC5-320-10
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maryland. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
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}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Indiana.
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in West Virginia.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S2), MS (S2), NJ (SX). (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 peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Leaves and seeds can be eaten raw. Leaves can be cooked.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 star chickweed in 24 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, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Virginia counties with USDA records: Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Brunswick, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Dickenson, Dinwiddie, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Goochland, Grayson, Greene, Greensville, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Highland, James City, King George, Lee, Loudoun, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Nelson, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, Wythe.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Bladen, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Vance, Wake, Warren, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, Yancey.

More Virginia flowers

Common soapwort

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Fire pink

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Native

🌼 Blooms: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile STPU.
iNaturalist, Stellaria pubera: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Stellaria pubera (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
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).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Indiana: Indiana prohibited invasive terrestrial plants (312 IAC 18-3-25).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Stellaria pubera (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: botanygirl via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.