Flower profile
Bractless blazingstar
Mentzelia nuda
Bractless blazingstar is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nebraska
Quick look
Mentzelia nuda, the bractless blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae. Native to the plains of the United States east of the Rockies and west of the Mississippi River, it has been introduced to the state of Illinois. It is a perennial reaching 90 cm (3 ft) with cream-colored flowers.
- It belongs to the Loasaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Nebraska. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 234 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #63 among the 108 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist
Bractless blazingstar gift ideas
Handmade bractless blazingstar 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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Bractless blazingstar art print
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Bractless blazingstar greeting card
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Bractless blazingstar mug
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Bractless blazingstar earrings
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Bractless blazingstar embroidery pattern
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Bractless blazingstar sticker
When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of Nebraska flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
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
- Nebraska
- Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MT (S1). (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 bractless blazingstar in 12 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming.
Nebraska counties with USDA records: Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Chase, Cherry, Custer, Dawes, Deuel, Dundy, Garden, Grant, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Kimball, Lincoln, McPherson, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Thomas.
More Nebraska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MENU.
- iNaturalist, Mentzelia nuda: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Mentzelia nuda (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
- Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Mentzelia nuda (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Stephen Hornbeck via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.