Flower profile
Agarita
Berberis trifoliolata
Agarita (Berberis trifoliolata) is a shrub in the Berberidaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–March across the U.S.
Agarita 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
Berberis trifoliolata is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, in southwestern North America. Common names include agarita, agrito, algerita, currant-of-Texas, wild currant, and chaparral berry. The name agarita comes from the Spanish verb agarrar, which means "to grab". The ending -ita is a diminutive often added to little things, so agarita means "grabs a little".
- It belongs to the Berberidaceae 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 3 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 21,321 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #14 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
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
- 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 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 agarita in 3 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Armstrong, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Brown, Callahan, Comal, Concho, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, El Paso, Garza, Gillespie, Hays, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, Llano, Lubbock, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Reeves, San Patricio, San Saba, Somervell, Stonewall, Sutton, Taylor, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Val Verde, Webb.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 52 counties across 3 states; the most are in Texas (50), Arizona (1), New Mexico (1).
Other Berberis on Bloomipedia (6): Japanese barberry, Creeping mahonia, Oregon grape, Cascade oregon-grape, Leatherleaf mahonia, Fremont barberry.
More from the Berberidaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Mayapple, Heavenly bamboo, Twinleaf, White inside-out flower, Vanilla leaf, Early blue cohosh.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MATR3.
- iNaturalist, Berberis trifoliolata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Berberis trifoliolata (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, Berberis trifoliolata (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.