Flower profile

Desert marigold

Baileya multiradiata

Desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Desert marigold is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

6states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

6,194U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico

Quick look

Baileya multiradiata is a North American species of sun-loving wildflower in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the deserts of northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It has been found in the States of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Aguascalientes, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas.
From Wikipedia's article Baileya multiradiata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, 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 Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,814 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #31 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,365 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #19 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 866 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #65 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”) (1,210 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	March–May	2,814
Nevada	Native	March–May	1,365
New Mexico	Native	April–September	866

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
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}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
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}
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.

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 desert marigold in 6 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

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

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Otero, San Miguel, Sandoval, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Valencia.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 49 counties across 6 states; the most are in New Mexico (16), Arizona (13), Texas (11).

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 Arizona flowers

Brittlebush

Encelia farinosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: January–December

Stinknet

Oncosiphon pilulifer

🌼 Blooms in AZ: March–May

American threefold

Trixis californica

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile BAMU.
iNaturalist, Baileya multiradiata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Baileya multiradiata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
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).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
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).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Baileya multiradiata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Matthew Lumsden via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.