Flower profile

Buttonweed

Diodia virginiana

Native in the lower 48

Buttonweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–October.

24states

4of our state lists

14,395U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi

Quick look

Diodia virginiana is a plant species in the Rubiaceae, common name Virginia buttonweed.
From Wikipedia's article Diodia virginiana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rubiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a annual, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 24 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,130 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #78 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 808 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #38 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 621 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #84 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

Buttonweed gift ideas

Handmade buttonweed 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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Buttonweed art print
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Buttonweed greeting card
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Buttonweed mug
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Buttonweed earrings
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Buttonweed embroidery pattern
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Buttonweed sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,634 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	Native	June–October	1,130
Louisiana	Native	May–November	808
Arkansas	Native	June–October	621
Mississippi	Native	May–September	310

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
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}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
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.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KS (S1). (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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{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 buttonweed in 24 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, 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.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Bartow, Berrien, Brooks, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clarke, Colquitt, Columbia, Dawson, Decatur, Dooly, Echols, Elbert, Fulton, Gilmer, Grady, Habersham, Hall, Irwin, Jackson, Lanier, Lincoln, Long, Madison, McIntosh, Meriwether, Mitchell, Morgan, Murray, Oglethorpe, Rabun, Screven, Spalding, Taliaferro, Tift, Toombs, Troup, Walker, Wilcox, Wilkes.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

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

More Georgia flowers

Partridgeberry

Mitchella repens

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: April–May

Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: May–September

Field madder

Sherardia arvensis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in GA: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DIVI3.
iNaturalist, Diodia virginiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Diodia virginiana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Diodia virginiana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Emily Summerbell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.