Flower profile
Cowpen daisy
Verbesina encelioides
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–November.
*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 March–November. iNaturalist
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–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 #77 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,250 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #79 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,068 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #46 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. iNaturalist
Cowpen daisy gift ideas
Handmade cowpen daisy 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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Cowpen daisy art print
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Cowpen daisy greeting card
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Cowpen daisy mug
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Cowpen daisy earrings
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Cowpen daisy embroidery pattern
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Cowpen daisy sticker
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 5 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Native | March–November | 7,735 |
| Arizona | Native | April–November | 1,250 |
| New Mexico | Native | May–October | 1,068 |
| Oklahoma | Native | May–November | 800 |
| Hawaii | Introduced | January–December | 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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?
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 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.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VEEN.
- iNaturalist, Verbesina encelioides: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Verbesina encelioides (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)).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
- New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Verbesina encelioides (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Cleveland Powell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.