Flower profile
Southwestern prickly poppy
Argemone pleiacantha
Southwestern prickly poppy (Argemone pleiacantha) is a flowering plant in the Papaveraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–August across the U.S.
Southwestern prickly poppy is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Argemone pleiacantha is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family known by the common name southwestern prickly poppy. It is native to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States and Chihuahua, and Sonora in Mexico, where it occurs in dry woodlands and slopes of foothills and mountains. It is an annual or perennial herb with branching, erect stems up to 1.5 meters tall.
- It belongs to the Papaveraceae 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 Arizona. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,479 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #65 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in April–June.
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
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- 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 southwestern prickly poppy in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, New Mexico.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 17 counties across 2 states; the most are in Arizona (13), New Mexico (4).
Other Argemone on Bloomipedia (3): Thistle poppy, Flatbud prickly poppy, Pua kala.
More from the Papaveraceae family (16 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Bloodroot, California poppy, Dutchman's breeches, Greater celandine, Pacific bleeding heart, Celandine poppy, Bush poppy, Squirrel corn.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ARPL3.
- iNaturalist, Argemone pleiacantha: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Argemone pleiacantha (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Argemone pleiacantha (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Sue Carnahan via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.