Flower profile
Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens
Cenizo is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in March–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Leucophyllum frutescens is an evergreen shrub in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the official "State Native Shrub of Texas", and to the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northern Mexico. Although commonly known as Texas sage, it is not a true sage and is distinct from the genus Salvia.
- It belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 1 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 8,346 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #69 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
Cenizo gift ideas
Handmade cenizo 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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Cenizo art print
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Cenizo greeting card
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Cenizo mug
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Cenizo earrings
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Cenizo embroidery pattern
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Cenizo sticker
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in March–December.
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
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.
🌿 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 cenizo in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Bexar, Brazos, Brewster, Cameron, Crockett, Duval, Hays, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, Lampasas, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, San Patricio, San Saba, Starr, Tarrant, Terrell, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, Zapata.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LEFR3.
- iNaturalist, Leucophyllum frutescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Leucophyllum frutescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Leucophyllum frutescens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Center for Urban Ecology via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.