Flower profile
Desert trumpet
Eriogonum inflatum
Desert trumpet is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Eriogonum inflatum, the desert trumpet, is a perennial plant of the family buckwheat family. The plant possesses very small yellow flowers and an inflated stem just below branching segments. It is found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico as far east as western Colorado and the Four Corners region.
- It belongs to the Polygonaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, 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 Nevada and Utah. NatureServe
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–September. iNaturalist
- In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–October. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,956 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #10 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 765 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #79 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. iNaturalist
Desert trumpet gift ideas
Handmade desert trumpet 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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Desert trumpet art print
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Desert trumpet greeting card
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Desert trumpet mug
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Desert trumpet earrings
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Desert trumpet embroidery pattern
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Desert trumpet sticker
When does it bloom?
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
- Nevada
- Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. NAC 527.010
- 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?
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 desert trumpet in 6 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Churchill, Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing.
Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Uintah, Washington, Wayne.
More Nevada flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERIN4.
- iNaturalist, Eriogonum inflatum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Eriogonum inflatum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
- Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
- Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Eriogonum inflatum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: desertnaturalist via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.