Flower profile

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Native in the lower 48

Creosote bush is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.

6states

6of our state lists

101,945U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah

Quick look

Larrea tridentata, also called creosote bush, greasewood as a plant, and chaparral as a medicinal herb. In Sonora, it is more commonly called hediondilla; Spanish hediondo = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific name tridentata refers to its three-toothed leaves.
From Wikipedia's article Larrea tridentata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Zygophyllaceae 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 6 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 30,962 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #2 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 29,599 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #8 among the 110 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 16,151 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #1 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

Creosote bush gift ideas

Handmade creosote bush 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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Creosote bush art print
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (5,222 records)

Bloom time in each of our 6 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	January–December	30,962
California	Native	January–December	29,599
New Mexico	Native	March–October	16,151
Nevada	Native	March–June	15,484
Texas	Native	February–November	8,954
Utah	Native	March–September	794

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
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}
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)}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
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}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
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?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: medium). Poisonous parts: leaves. Symptoms they list: “Consumption can cause acute hepatitis. Contact dermatitis also reported.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNon-toxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Chaparral” (Larrea tridentata) lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ^ASPCA

🌿 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 creosote bush in 6 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

California counties with USDA records: Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Tulare.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Chaves, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Otero, Roosevelt, Sierra, Socorro.

More Arizona flowers

Puncture vine

Tribulus terrestris

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: June–October

Arizona poppy

Kallstroemia grandiflora

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: July–November

Saguaro

Carnegiea gigantea

★ AZ state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LATR2.
iNaturalist, Larrea tridentata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Larrea tridentata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
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).
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).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
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)).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Larrea tridentata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.