Flower profile

Giant blazingstar

Mentzelia laevicaulis

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

Native in the lower 48

Giant blazingstar is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–September.

9states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

5,499U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Idaho, Nevada

Quick look

Mentzelia laevicaulis is a showy biennial or short-lived perennial wildflower native to western North America. Its common names include giant blazingstar and smoothstem blazingstar.
From Wikipedia's article Mentzelia laevicaulis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 9 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada and Idaho. ^NatureServe
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 496 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #83 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 452 research-grade sightings of it in Idaho, ranking #85 among the 143 flowers on our Idaho list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (745 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Nevada	Native	June–September	496
Idaho	Native	few records (25)	452

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Idaho.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (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 giant blazingstar in 9 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine.

Idaho counties with USDA records: Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Boise, Butte, Canyon, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Elmore, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Kootenai, Lemhi, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Valley, Washington.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 169 counties across 8 states; the most are in California (41), Idaho (22), Utah (21).

Other Mentzelia on Bloomipedia (1): Bractless blazingstar.

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

More Nevada flowers

Desert rock nettle

Eucnide urens

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Eastern Joshua tree

Yucca jaegeriana

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: February–April

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MELA2.
iNaturalist, Mentzelia laevicaulis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Mentzelia laevicaulis (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).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Mentzelia laevicaulis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Deniz Wilson via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.