Bloomipedia
Giant blazingstar (Mentzelia laevicaulis)
Photo: Deniz Wilson via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized

Flower profile

Giant blazingstar

Mentzelia laevicaulis

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 May–September.

9states
2of our state lists
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.

  • 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
  • In Idaho, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–September. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 496 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #83 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 452 research-grade sightings of it in Idaho, ranking #85 among the 109 flowers on our Idaho list. iNaturalist

Giant blazingstar gift ideas

Handmade giant blazingstar gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (745 records)
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
NevadaNativeJune–September496
IdahoNativeMay–September452

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.

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.

More Nevada flowers

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Sources