Flower profile
Devil's spineflower
Chorizanthe rigida
Devil's spineflower (Chorizanthe rigida) is a flowering plant in the Polygonaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–May across the U.S.
Devil's spineflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Nevada it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nevada
Quick look
Chorizanthe rigida, with the common names of devil's spineflower, rigid spineflower, spiny-herb, rigid spiny-herb, is an annual plant in the family Polygonaceae the buckwheats. It is a member of the genus Chorizanthe, the spineflowers and is found in the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, in the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Baja California, and Sonora.
- It belongs to the Polygonaceae 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 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada. NatureServe
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 841 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #37 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Nevada, most flowering sightings come in March–May.
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
- Nevada
- Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. NAC 527.010
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (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 devil's spineflower in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Churchill, Clark, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Washoe.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Acanthogonum rigidum.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 27 counties across 4 states; the most are in Arizona (10), Nevada (9), California (7).
More from the Polygonaceae family (21 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): California buckwheat, American jumpseed, Low smartweed, Japanese knotweed, Sulfur buckwheat, Mile-a-minute weed, Water smartweed, Desert trumpet.
More Nevada flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CHRI.
- iNaturalist, Chorizanthe rigida: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Chorizanthe rigida (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
- Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Chorizanthe rigida (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Dominic Gentilcore via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.