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Hoary Puccoon

Lithospermum canescens

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), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

43
Good

Native to Virginia. 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
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to May

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 34 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

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.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Lithospermum

  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Ethmia longimaculella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Growing and identification

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
Also known as

Indian Paint; Indianpaint

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources