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Plant profile · Austin & Hill Country

Carolina Elephantsfoot

Elephantopus carolinianus
native · Central Texas

Carolina Elephantsfoot is a wildflower native to Central Texas that grows 1–3 ft tall and 4 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water. Blooms purple in mid summer. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Good for bees and butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Carolina Elephantsfoot against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

The facts

4 sources
Type
Wildflower
Sun
Full sun to part shade (3–6 hrs of direct sun)
Water
Low
Height
1–3 ft
Spread
4 ft
Bloom
Mid Summer · purple
Foliage
Evergreen
Soil
Recorded on dry, sand, well drained
Wildlife
Supports bees, butterflies and deer

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Northern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesSan Antonio Prairie

27 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.