Flower profile
Tuber anemone
Anemone tuberosa
Tuber anemone is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Anemone tuberosa, the desert anemone or tuber anemone, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants grow 10 to 30, sometimes 40 cm (16 in) tall, from a woody-like tuber shaped like a caudex. Plants have 1 to 3 basal leaves that are 1 or 2 times ternate. The few basal leaves have long petioles and are deeply 3-parted with leaflets lacking stems or rarely with a stalk.
- It belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) 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. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,341 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #72 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
Tuber anemone gift ideas
Handmade tuber anemone 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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Tuber anemone art print
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Tuber anemone greeting card
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Tuber anemone mug
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Tuber anemone earrings
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Tuber anemone embroidery pattern
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Tuber anemone sticker
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in February–April.
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
- 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 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 tuber anemone in 6 states.
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, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ANTU.
- iNaturalist, Anemone tuberosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Anemone tuberosa (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).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Anemone tuberosa (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Katja Schulz via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.