Flower profile
Perky sue
Tetraneuris argentea
Perky sue (Tetraneuris argentea) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.
Perky sue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In New Mexico it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: New Mexico
Quick look
Tetraneuris argentea, the perkysue, is a North American species of plants in the sunflower family. It grows in the southwestern United States, primarily in Arizona and New Mexico with additional populations in Utah, Colorado, and the Texas Panhandle.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae 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 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to New Mexico. NatureServe
- In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 874 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #63 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In New Mexico, most flowering sightings come in April–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
- G3 Vulnerable worldwide. NatureServe
- New Mexico
- Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
- 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 perky sue in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, New Mexico.
New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Grant, Los Alamos, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Valencia.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Actinella argentea, Hymenoxys argentea.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 16 counties across 2 states; the most are in New Mexico (15), Arizona (1).
More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.
More New Mexico flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TEAR4.
- iNaturalist, Tetraneuris argentea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Tetraneuris argentea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
- New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Tetraneuris argentea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Anders Hastings via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.