Flower profile
Madrean springbeauty
Claytonia rosea
Madrean springbeauty is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Colorado it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Colorado
Quick look
Claytonia rosea, commonly called Rocky Mountain spring beauty, western springbeauty or Madrean springbeauty, is a diminutive spring blooming ephemeral plant with pale pink to magenta flowers. It grows a small round tuberous root and it one of the earliest wildflowers of spring in its range.
- It belongs to the Montiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a 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 Colorado. NatureServe
- In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,025 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #82 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. iNaturalist
Madrean springbeauty gift ideas
Handmade madrean springbeauty 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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Madrean springbeauty art print
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Madrean springbeauty greeting card
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Madrean springbeauty mug
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Madrean springbeauty earrings
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Madrean springbeauty embroidery pattern
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Madrean springbeauty sticker
When does it bloom?
In Colorado, 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
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Colorado
- No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
- 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?
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 madrean springbeauty in 6 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming.
Colorado counties with USDA records: Boulder, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer, Montezuma.
More Colorado flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CLRO5.
- iNaturalist, Claytonia rosea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Claytonia rosea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Claytonia rosea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Joshua Smith via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.