Bloomipedia
Cowpen daisy (Verbesina encelioides)
Photo: Cleveland Powell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Cowpen daisy

Verbesina encelioides

Cowpen daisy (Verbesina encelioides) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–October across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Cowpen daisy is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–October.

32states where USDA records it
5Bloomipedia state lists include it
13,696U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Verbesina encelioides is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names include golden crownbeard, cowpen daisy, goldweed, wild sunflower, butter daisy, crown-beard, American dogweed, and the Spanish Añil del Muerto.

  • It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 32 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. NatureServe
  • NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–October. iNaturalist
  • In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–November. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 7,735 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #78 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,250 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #79 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,068 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #46 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,466 records)
Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeApril–October7,735
ArizonaNativeMay–November1,250
New MexicoNativeAugust–October1,068
OklahomaNativeJune–October800
HawaiiIntroducedfew records (40)776

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
State rare plant lists
Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 4 of our 5 states.
See each state
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
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
New Mexico
Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
Hawaii
Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: WY (S2). (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 cowpen daisy in 32 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Andrews, Aransas, Atascosa, Bailey, Bastrop, Bexar, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Castro, Childress, Coke, Comanche, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dallam, DeWitt, Deaf Smith, Duval, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Hartley, Hays, Hemphill, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hockley, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, Lamb, Lipscomb, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Madison, McLennan, Medina, Midland, Mills, Nueces, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Presidio, Randall, Reeves, Refugio, Robertson, San Patricio, Shelby, Sherman, Starr, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Travis, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Walker, Ward, Webb, Wichita, Willacy, Williamson, Winkler, Zapata, Zavala.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Cowpen daisy a high shade tolerance, low drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.4 to 8.5 and winter lows down to -23 °F.

Shade tolerance
High
Drought tolerance
Low
Moisture use
Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to
medium, fine
Soil pH range
6.4 to 8.5
Minimum temperature tolerated
-23 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
175
Annual precipitation range
10 to 20 inches
Minimum root depth
10 inches
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Growth rate
Rapid
Active growth period
Summer
Fruit or seed
Brown · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by
seed
Commercial availability
No Known Source

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for VEEN. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Native; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Puerto Rico: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 267 counties across 27 states; the most are in Texas (94), Colorado (33), New Mexico (30).

Other Verbesina on Bloomipedia (3): Wingstem, Frostweed, Yellow crownbeard.

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.

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Sources