Bloomipedia
Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis)
Photo: Emmett Collins-Sussman via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Illinois bundleflower

Desmanthus illinoensis

Native in the lower 48

Illinois bundleflower 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 June–August.

30states
5of our state lists
12,989U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma

Quick look

Desmanthus illinoensis, commonly known as Illinois bundleflower, prairie-mimosa or prickleweed, is a common plant in the central and southern United States.

  • It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 30 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa. NatureServe
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early summer. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 1,190 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #8 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 889 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #74 among the 109 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 791 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #36 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist

Illinois bundleflower gift ideas

Handmade illinois bundleflower 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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    Illinois bundleflower art print

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (381 records)
Bloom time in each of our 5 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
KansasNativefew records1,190
MissouriNativefew records889
OklahomaNativefew records791
NebraskaNativefew records358
IowaNativefew records280

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
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Missouri
Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. 3 CSR 10-4.111
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.
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Iowa
Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: ND (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 illinois bundleflower in 30 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Butler, Caldwell, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Daviess, DeKalb, Franklin, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Macon, Maries, McDonald, Mississippi, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Osage, Ozark, Pemiscot, Pettis, Pike, Platte, Polk, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Scott, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Vernon, Warren, Washington.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Bryan, Caddo, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Texas, Tulsa, Washita, Woods.

More Kansas flowers

White clover (Trifolium repens)

White clover

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🌼 Blooms in KS: April–September
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

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★ VT state flowerIntroduced

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Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Eastern redbud

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🌼 Blooms in KS: March–April

Sources