Bloomipedia
Fire pink (Silene virginica)
Photo: Clay Gibbons via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Fire pink

Silene virginica

Native in the lower 48

Fire pink 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 April–June.

27states
8of our state lists
18,043U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Silene virginica, the fire pink, is a perennial wildflower native to eastern and central North America that belongs to the pink family, Caryophyllaceae. Fire pink, known for its distinct, brilliant-red flowers, begins blooming in late spring and stays in bloom throughout the summer.

  • 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 27 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. iNaturalist
  • In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 3,928 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #30 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,863 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #23 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,376 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #17 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist

Fire pink gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (5,748 records)
Bloom time in each of our 8 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
North CarolinaNativeApril–July3,928
TennesseeNativeMarch–May2,863
ArkansasNativeMarch–May1,376
KentuckyNativeApril–May1,149
IndianaNativeApril–June1,111
GeorgiaNativeMarch–June1,105
AlabamaNativeMarch–May960
MissouriNativeApril–May822

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
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
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
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.
Kentucky
Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kentucky. 400 KAR 3:040
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.
Georgia
Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: S5, secure in Georgia. Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09
Alabama
No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
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
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (S1), KS (S1), LA (S2), MI (S1), WI (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. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Silene acaulis (“Moss Campion”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA

🌿 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 fire pink in 27 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Avery, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Craven, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Martin, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Northampton, Orange, Person, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, Yancey.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, DeKalb, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Marion, Maury, McMinn, McNairy, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Stewart, Sullivan, Sumner, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Wayne, Williamson, Wilson.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Columbia, Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Johnson, Lawrence, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, Woodruff, Yell.

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Star chickweed (Stellaria pubera)

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Sources