Bloomipedia
Bractless blazingstar (Mentzelia nuda)
Photo: Stephen Hornbeck via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Bractless blazingstar

Mentzelia nuda

Bractless blazingstar (Mentzelia nuda) is a flowering plant in the Loasaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–September across the U.S.

Native to Nebraska

Bractless blazingstar is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

12states where USDA records it
234NE sightings*
1,431U.S. sightings*

*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 147 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (76 records)

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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 200 counties across 11 states; the most are in Texas (51), Kansas (39), Colorado (30).

Other Mentzelia on Bloomipedia (1): Giant blazingstar.

More from the Loasaceae family (2 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Desert rock nettle.

More Nebraska flowers

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

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🌼 Blooms in NE: June–July
Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)

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🌼 Few flowering records in NE
Great mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Great mullein

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🌼 Few flowering records in NE

Sources