Flower profile

Canada toadflax

Linaria canadensis

Native in the lower 48

Canada toadflax is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–July.

39states

9of our state lists

15,692U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina

Quick look

Nuttallanthus canadensis, the blue toadflax, Canada toadflax, or old-field toadflax, is a species of Nuttallanthus in the family Plantaginaceae, native to eastern North America from Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south to Texas and Florida.
From Wikipedia's article Nuttallanthus canadensis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 39 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–April. ^iNaturalist
In Massachusetts, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,111 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #96 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,462 research-grade sightings of it in Massachusetts, ranking #54 among the 110 flowers on our Massachusetts list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,461 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #52 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Canada toadflax gift ideas

Handmade canada toadflax 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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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,330 records)

Bloom time in each of our 9 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	January–April	3,111
Massachusetts	Native	May–July	2,462
Georgia	Native	February–May	1,461
New Jersey	Native	April–June	988
Maine	Native	June–September	756
Connecticut	Native	May–July	555
South Carolina	Native	February–April	545
Rhode Island	Native	May–August	301
Delaware	Native	April–May	184

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
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Massachusetts. ^{MESA list}
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}
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: S5, secure in New Jersey. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Connecticut: Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Connecticut. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Rhode Island: Not listed Not on Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Rhode Island. ^{RI rare plants 2016}
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (S1), KS (SH), OH (S1), WA (S1), WV (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 Canada toadflax in 39 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, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton.

Massachusetts counties with USDA records: Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Baldwin, Bartow, Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Chatham, Clarke, DeKalb, Decatur, Echols, Elbert, Emanuel, Floyd, Hall, Harris, Hart, Irwin, Jenkins, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, McIntosh, Meriwether, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Randolph, Screven, Stephens, Talbot, Tift, Toombs, Ware, Whitfield, Wilkes, Worth.

More Florida flowers

Bird's-eye speedwell

Veronica persica

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax)

Linaria vulgaris

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: June–October

White turtlehead

Chelone glabra

Native

🌼 Blooms: August–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile NUCA.
iNaturalist, Linaria canadensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Nuttallanthus canadensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Massachusetts: Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90).
Massachusetts: Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List (MDAR) (Text from MDAR's 2023 scientific-name PDF (mass.gov blocks automated downloads); 2024-2026 additions listed on the mass.gov page: Alnus glutinosa, Pyrus calleryana, Miscanthus sinensis, Aralia elata, Rhodotypos scandens, Symplocos paniculata.).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
Maine: Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories.
Maine: Maine Do Not Sell invasive plant list (01-001 C.M.R. ch. 273).
Connecticut: Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list).
Connecticut: Connecticut prohibited invasive plants (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Rhode Island: Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law).
Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Linaria canadensis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Bill Keim via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.