Flower profile

Stansbury's cliffrose

Purshia stansburyana

Stansbury's cliffrose (Purshia stansburyana) is a flowering plant in the Rosaceae family, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Stansbury's cliffrose is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

–states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

5,305U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, Utah

Quick look

Purshia stansburyana is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name Stansbury's cliffrose. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in woodlands, desert, and plateau habitat. It often grows anchored on cliffs and prefers rocky, granular soils, especially limestone.
From Wikipedia's article Purshia stansburyana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Utah, Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,085 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #11 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,971 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #48 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 795 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #44 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (476 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Utah	Native	April–June	2,085
Arizona	Native	April–June	1,971
Nevada	Native	April–June	795

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
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
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: S5, secure in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
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?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) 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.