Hoary Puccoon
Lithospermum canescens
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in dry woodlands and glades over calcareous rocks (such as limestone, dolostone) or mafic rocks (such as diabase). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- 6 inches–1.5 feet
- Light
- Partial shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- April to May
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 29 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone
Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock
Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.
Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 53 animals.
- American GoldfinchCarduelis tristis
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Bank SwallowRiparia riparia
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Brown ThrasherToxostoma rufum
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asio
- Eurasian Collared-doveStreptopelia decaocto
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querula
- Henslow's SparrowAmmodramus henslowii
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Le Conte's SparrowAmmodramus leconteii
Who uses this plant?
2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Lithospermum
- Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
5BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Lithospermum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
7BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lithospermum
- Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
- Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
- Perdix perdixGray Partridge
- Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
- Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
- Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
- Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Flies 1
- Bombylius atriceps
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 11
- Anosia plexippus
- Papilio asterias
- Pholisora catullus
- Phyciodes tharos
- Plusia simplex
- Thanaos brizo
- Thanaos juvenalis
- Thanaos martialis
- Vanessa atalanta
- Vanessa cardui
Show all 11
- Vanessa huntera
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Flower color
- Orange or yellow
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Orange or yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “6 inches–1.5 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Indian Paint; Indianpaint
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications