Flower profile
Honewort
Cryptotaenia canadensis
Honewort is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Delaware
Quick look
Cryptotaenia canadensis, the Canadian honewort, is a perennial plant species native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada. Its young leaves and stems can be used as a boiled green or seasoning similar to parsley. The parsnip like roots can be cooked and eaten.
- It belongs to the Apiaceae 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 38 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Delaware. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 154 research-grade sightings of it in Delaware, ranking #92 among the 110 flowers on our Delaware list. iNaturalist
Honewort gift ideas
Handmade honewort 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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Honewort art print
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Honewort greeting card
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Honewort mug
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Honewort earrings
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Honewort embroidery pattern
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Honewort sticker
When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of Delaware flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
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
- Delaware
- Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Delaware. DE rare plants 2024
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: FL (S1), ME (SH), RI (S2). (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?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
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.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records honewort in 38 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.
Delaware counties with USDA records: Kent, New Castle.
More Delaware flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CRCA9.
- iNaturalist, Cryptotaenia canadensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Cryptotaenia canadensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- 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, Cryptotaenia canadensis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Elizabeth Green via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.