Flower profile
Arrowweed
Pluchea sericea
Arrowweed (Pluchea sericea) is a shrub in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–June across the U.S.
Arrowweed is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Nevada it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nevada
Quick look
Pluchea sericea, commonly called arrowweed or cachanilla (Mexico), is a rhizomatous evergreen shrub of riparian areas in the lower Sonoran Desert and surrounding areas. It is common in the lower Colorado River valley of California, Nevada and Arizona, as far east as Texas, and in northern Mexico where it often forms dense impenetrable thickets. It is a perennial shrub and grows along watercourses.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae 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 Nevada. NatureServe
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 620 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #61 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Nevada, most flowering sightings come in April–June.
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
- Nevada
- Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Nevada. NAC 527.010
- 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.
Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Nevada. NatureServe
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 arrowweed 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.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Berthelotia sericea, Polypappus sericeus, Tessaria sericea.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 44 counties across 6 states; the most are in Arizona (15), California (12), Texas (6).
Other Pluchea on Bloomipedia (5): Marsh fleabane, Camphor-weed, Rosy camphorweed, Cure-for-all, Indian marsh fleabane.
More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.
More Nevada flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PLSE.
- iNaturalist, Pluchea sericea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Pluchea sericea (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).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Pluchea sericea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: David Batchelor via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.