Flower profile

Brittlebush

Encelia farinosa

Native in the lower 48

Brittlebush is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.

5states

3of our state lists

40,347U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona, California, Nevada

Quick look

Encelia farinosa, is a common desert shrub of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It has a variety of historical uses.
From Wikipedia's article Encelia farinosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to California, Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as winter. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 26,072 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #14 among the 110 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 12,753 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #4 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,518 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #15 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

Brittlebush gift ideas

Handmade brittlebush 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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Brittlebush art print
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Brittlebush greeting card
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Brittlebush mug
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Brittlebush earrings
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Brittlebush embroidery pattern
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Brittlebush sticker
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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 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	Native	January–December	26,072
Arizona	Native	January–December	12,753
Nevada	Native	January–December	1,518

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
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

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 brittlebush in 5 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah.

California counties with USDA records: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yuma.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

More California flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: March–August

Bull thistle

Cirsium vulgare

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CA: June–October

Common sunflower

Helianthus annuus

🌷 Garden flower

🌼 Blooms in CA: January–November

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ENFA.
iNaturalist, Encelia farinosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Encelia farinosa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Encelia farinosa (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: John Brew via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.