Flower profile
Texas bluebonnet
Lupinus texensis
Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.
Texas bluebonnet is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Lupinus texensis, the Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine is a species of lupine found in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. With other related species of lupines also called bluebonnets, it is the state flower of Texas.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual 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 Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 29,983 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #7 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in March–April.
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
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: S5, secure in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (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?
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 Texas bluebonnet in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Coryell, Crockett, Dallas, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Edwards, Ellis, Falls, Fayette, Fort Bend, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hays, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Llano, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Milam, Mills, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Nolan, Nueces, Parker, Pecos, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Shackelford, Starr, Stephens, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson, Zapata.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 109 counties across 3 states; the most are in Texas (95), Louisiana (12), Florida (2).
Other Lupinus on Bloomipedia (5): Lupines, Sundial lupine, Lupine (large-leaved lupine), Coulter's lupine, Nootka lupine.
More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover, Common vetch.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LUTE.
- iNaturalist, Lupinus texensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Lupinus texensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Lupinus texensis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.