Flower profile

Spiny menodora

Menodora spinescens

Spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens) is a shrub in the Oleaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.

Native to Nevada

Spiny menodora is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

4states where USDA records it

536NV sightings*

1,125U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Nevada

Quick look

Menodora spinescens is a species of flowering plant in the olive family known by the common name spiny menodora. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in varied mountain, canyon, and desert habitat in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
From Wikipedia's article Menodora spinescens, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Oleaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 536 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #77 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Nevada (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (48 records)

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: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (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 spiny menodora in 4 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 10 counties across 4 states; the most are in Nevada (5), California (3), Arizona (1).

More from the Oleaceae family (9 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Downy forestiera, White fringetree, Purple lilac, Border forsythia, Japanese tree lilac, Meyer lilac, Sweet olive, Chinese fringetree.

More Nevada flowers

Purple lilac

Syringa vulgaris

★ NH state flower🌷 Garden flower

🌷 Grown in Nevada gardens

Border forsythia

Forsythia × intermedia

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌷 Grown in Nevada gardens

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MESP2.
iNaturalist, Menodora spinescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Menodora spinescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Menodora spinescens (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: David Batchelor via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.