Flower profile
Downy forestiera
Forestiera pubescens
Downy forestiera 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 February–March.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Forestiera pubescens, commonly known as stretchberry, desert olive, tanglewood, devil's elbow, elbow bush, spring goldenglow, spring herald, New Mexico privet, or Texas forsythia is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
- It belongs to the Oleaceae 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 8 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–March. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 7,395 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #86 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
Downy forestiera gift ideas
Handmade downy forestiera 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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Downy forestiera art print
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Downy forestiera greeting card
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Downy forestiera mug
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Downy forestiera earrings
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Downy forestiera embroidery pattern
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Downy forestiera sticker
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in February–March.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently 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
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NV (S2). (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?
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.
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 downy forestiera in 8 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah.
Texas counties with USDA records: Armstrong, Bailey, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Comal, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, Dickens, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Garza, Gillespie, Grayson, Hardeman, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Hood, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kendall, Kimble, Lamb, Llano, Marion, McCulloch, McLennan, Mills, Motley, Palo Pinto, Parker, Presidio, Randall, Roberts, Runnels, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Travis, Williamson.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile FOPU2.
- iNaturalist, Forestiera pubescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Forestiera pubescens (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, Forestiera pubescens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.