Flower profile
Virgin river brittlebush
Encelia virginensis
Virgin river brittlebush is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Nevada it's most often seen in bloom in March–November.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nevada
Quick look
Encelia virginensis is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Virgin River brittlebush. This shrub is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, particularly the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert. It has been found in Baja California, southern California, Nevada, Arizona, southwestern Utah, and southwestern New Mexico.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae 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 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada. NatureServe
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–November. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 448 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #90 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
Virgin river brittlebush gift ideas
Handmade virgin river brittlebush gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Virgin river brittlebush art print
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Virgin river brittlebush greeting card
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Virgin river brittlebush mug
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Virgin river brittlebush earrings
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Virgin river brittlebush embroidery pattern
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Virgin river brittlebush sticker
When does it bloom?
In Nevada, most flowering sightings come in March–November.
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
- 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?
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 virgin river brittlebush in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln, Nye.
More Nevada flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ENVI.
- iNaturalist, Encelia virginensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Encelia virginensis (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, Encelia virginensis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: CK2AZ via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.