Allergens
Severity: Mid
Spring
Tree
Pygmy Date Palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Pygmy Date Palm is a small, slow-growing feather palm planted throughout Arizona’s low-desert landscapes as a poolside accent, patio specimen, and entrance planting. It belongs to the Phoenix genus, the same genus as Date Palm (P. dactylifera), which carries a “severe allergies” rating from pollen.com and formally characterized major allergens. Its small size limits pollen output compared to the full-size Date Palm, but sensitized patients should treat it as the same allergy-relevant genus.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Nasal congestion, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Red eyes, Coughing, Asthma flare-up, Sinus pressure, Sinus pain
Severity: High
Winter
Tree
Date Palm
Phoenix dactylifera
Date Palm is a tall, stately palm cultivated in Arizona both for date fruit production and as an ornamental landscape tree. Of all the palm species planted in the Southwest, it is best known as an allergy culprit with six formally characterized major allergens, documented asthma and rhinitis in palm-abundant communities, and cross-reactivity with both Bermuda grass pollen and date fruit itself.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Nasal congestion, Postnasal drip, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Red eyes, Eye burning, Itchy throat, Oral allergy syndrome, Coughing, Wheezing, Shortness of breath, Chest tightness, Asthma flare-up, Fatigue, Sinus pressure, Sinus pain
Severity: Mid
Spring
Tree
Mexican Fan Palm
Washingtonia robusta
Mexican Fan Palm is a tall, slender palm widely planted as a street tree, parking lot tree, and landscape accent throughout Arizona’s low-desert communities. Wind-pollinated and explicitly listed by Aspire Allergy among the more allergenic palm species in the Southwest, it contributes to Arizona’s late winter and spring pollen burden. Its dense urban planting concentrates pollen exposure for nearby residents.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Nasal congestion, Postnasal drip, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Red eyes, Eye burning, Wheezing, Asthma flare-up, Ear congestion, Sinus pressure, Sinus pain
Severity: Mid
Winter
Tree
California Fan Palm
Washingtonia filifera
California Fan Palm is a tall native palm planted throughout Arizona as a landscape tree and found naturally at isolated desert oases in Yuma County. Wind-pollinated and producing significant airborne pollen from winter through spring, it is listed by Aspire Allergy among the more allergenic palm species in the Southwest. Patients with grass pollen sensitivity are at higher risk, as palms and grasses share botanical lineage and cross-reactive proteins.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Postnasal drip, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Red eyes, Eye burning, Coughing, Asthma flare-up, Ear congestion, Sinus pressure, Sinus pain
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Bougainvillea (Vining)
Bougainvillea spectabilis; Bougainvillea × buttiana
Vining Bougainvillea varieties are among the most dramatic flowering vines in Arizona, capable of covering pergolas, ramadas, walls, and entire building facades with cascades of vivid bracts through much of the year. Like their shrub relatives, they are insect-pollinated and not a significant airborne allergen. The primary allergy concern is contact with thorns coated in irritating compounds, which becomes more likely when training or pruning climbing canes at height.
Symptoms:
Itchy eyes, Red eyes, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Lady Banks Rose
Rosa banksiae
Lady Banks Rose is a fast-growing, nearly thornless climbing rose native to China, planted widely across Arizona for its spectacular spring bloom of thousands of small yellow or white flowers. Rose pollen is large, heavy, and not wind-dispersed, making it one of the more allergy-friendly flowering vines available. The primary allergy considerations are fragrance sensitivity in the white-flowered variety, and Rosaceae family cross-reactivity with stone fruits and pome fruits in sensitized individuals.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Itchy skin
Summer
Tree
Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Trumpet Vine is a fast-growing, hummingbird-pollinated vine planted throughout Arizona for its showy orange, red, or coral trumpet-shaped summer flowers. Not a significant airborne allergen, it earns its folk name “Cow Itch Vine” from quinone compounds in its foliage and sap that cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals. It is commonly confused with Poison Ivy due to the shared species epithet radicans, but the two plants are unrelated and the Trumpet Vine carries no urushiol.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Red eyes, Hives, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Summer
Tree
Queen's Wreath
Antigonon leptopus
Queen’s Wreath is a fast-growing perennial vine native to Mexico, planted throughout Arizona for its prolific cascades of bright pink, coral, or red flowers through summer and fall. Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, it poses minimal allergy risk in landscape settings and is not a recognized airborne allergen. It can become invasive in tropical and humid climates but behaves well in Arizona’s arid conditions.
Symptoms:
Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Summer
Tree
Golden Barrel Cactus
Echinocactus grusonii (syn. Kroenleinia grusonii)
Golden Barrel Cactus is a slow-growing, globe-shaped cactus native to central Mexico and widely used in Arizona xeriscape and contemporary landscape designs. Pollinated by bees and butterflies, it produces no meaningful airborne pollen and poses virtually no allergy risk. Its primary concern is mechanical – the dense, rigid spines cause painful puncture wounds on contact. It is critically endangered in the wild; all landscape specimens should be sourced from reputable nurseries.
Symptoms:
Itchy skin
Severity: Mid
Spring
Tree
Euphorbia
Euphorbia spp.
Euphorbia covers a large genus of succulent and semi-succulent landscape plants widely used in Arizona gardens. All species produce a white milky latex sap that is highly irritating to skin and mucous membranes and constitutes a serious eye hazard – contact can cause burning, swelling, and temporary vision loss lasting up to two weeks. Documented reactions include contact dermatitis, asthma, and in occupational settings, IgE-mediated sensitization from airborne latex particles.
Symptoms:
Red eyes, Swollen eyelids, Eye burning, Coughing, Asthma flare-up, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Winter
Weed
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera (syn. Aloe barbadensis)
Aloe Vera is a widely grown succulent across Arizona’s low-desert landscapes and one of the world’s most used medicinal plants. It poses virtually no allergy risk as a landscape specimen – its tubular flowers are bird-pollinated and it is not an airborne allergen. The relevant allergy concern is from direct skin contact with the fresh leaf latex, which contains anthraquinones that cause contact dermatitis, urticaria, and in rare cases, anaphylaxis.
Symptoms:
Red eyes, Swollen eyelids, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Mid
Spring
Tree
Yucca
Yucca elata (Soaptree Yucca); Yucca baccata (Banana Yucca)
Yucca covers several native succulent shrubs common throughout Arizona’s desert and grassland zones, recognizable by their dense rosettes of stiff, sharp-tipped leaves and tall spring flower spikes. Pollinated exclusively by yucca moths rather than wind, yucca is not a conventional airborne allergen, but contact with the saponin-containing leaf tissue causes urticaria and dermatitis, and a published case documents IgE-mediated rhinoconjunctivitis from airborne yucca leaf particulates during pruning.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Nasal congestion, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Hives, Itchy skin
Severity: Mid
Spring
Tree
Agave
Agave americana (Century Plant); Agave parryi (Parry’s Agave)
Agave is a bold rosette of rigid, spine-tipped leaves that blooms dramatically once in its lifetime, sending up a flower stalk that can reach 30 feet, then dies. While not an airborne pollen allergen, its sap is a well-documented cause of contact dermatitis, with published cases describing irritant and allergic reactions, systemic symptoms, and purpuric skin lesions from calcium oxalate crystals in the plant’s tissues.
Symptoms:
Red eyes, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens
Ocotillo is one of the most striking and architecturally unique plants of the Arizona desert – a cluster of tall, thorny wand-like stems that burst into bright scarlet flower clusters at their tips each spring, timed precisely to coincide with the northward migration of hummingbirds. Despite its cactus-like appearance, Ocotillo is not a true cactus and belongs to its own isolated plant family. Pollinated almost entirely by hummingbirds, it poses virtually no allergy risk and is one of Arizona’s most allergy-safe landscape specimens.
Symptoms:
Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Prickly Pear
Opuntia spp.
Prickly Pear is one of Arizona’s most common and culturally important native cacti: a flat-padded, wide-spreading plant whose yellow, orange, or magenta spring flowers give way to edible red and purple fruit harvested by Indigenous communities for centuries. Though not an airborne allergen, its glochids are the most clinically significant skin hazard of any Arizona cactus, capable of triggering glochid dermatitis, granulomatous reactions, and even severe eye inflammation if they reach the conjunctiva.
Symptoms:
Red eyes, Swollen eyelids, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Cholla
Cylindropuntia spp.
Cholla is one of the most ecologically important and visually dramatic cacti of the Arizona desert, and the one with the most complicated relationship with humans. Its barbed, detachable spine clusters attach instantly to skin, clothing, and pets with a light touch, making it a mechanical hazard in the landscape. As a pollen allergen, however, it poses virtually no risk: Cholla is insect-pollinated and is not a recognized airborne allergen anywhere in North America.
Symptoms:
Hives, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Fall
Tree
Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus wislizeni (Fishhook Barrel); Ferocactus cylindraceus (Compass Barrel); Echinocactus grusonii (Golden Barrel)
Barrel Cactus is one of the most recognizable plants of the Arizona desert – a ribbed, spine-covered globe that blooms in vivid yellow, orange, or red in late summer and fall, when most other desert plants have finished flowering. Insect-pollinated and not a recognized airborne allergen anywhere, it is one of Arizona’s safest landscape plants for allergy-sensitive homeowners. The primary concern is mechanical: the hooked spines can cause serious puncture wounds on contact.
Symptoms:
Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Saguaro
Carnegiea gigantea
The Saguaro is Arizona’s most iconic plant – the state’s official wildflower and one of the defining symbols of the Sonoran Desert. Pollinated by bats, bees, and birds, it produces virtually no airborne pollen and poses almost no allergy risk. It is protected under Arizona state law and cannot be removed or relocated without a permit from the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
Symptoms:
Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Weed
Trailing Indigo Bush
Dalea greggii
Trailing Indigo Bush is a fast-spreading, drought-hardy native ground cover used extensively throughout Arizona’s xeriscape and desert landscapes. Pollinated by bees and butterflies, it poses minimal airborne pollen risk. As a Fabaceae member it shares a theoretical cross-reactivity profile with mesquite and other legume plants, but no specific allergy has been documented for this species.
Symptoms:
Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Weed
Verbena
Glandularia gooddingii
Verbena covers a broad group of flowering ground covers widely used across Arizona, from the native Goodding’s Verbena that naturalizes in desert washes and roadsides to popular hybrid garden varieties sold at nurseries statewide. Insect-pollinated and low-risk as an airborne allergen, verbena’s primary allergy concern is contact sensitivity: IgE-mediated contact hypersensitivity to Verbena hybrida leaf tissue has been documented, including one case of anaphylaxis on leaf contact.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Nasal itching, Red eyes, Hives, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Summer
Weed
Ice Plant
Delosperma cooperi
Ice Plant is a fast-spreading succulent ground cover widely planted in Arizona for its vivid daisy-like flowers and ability to carpet slopes, borders, and rock gardens with minimal care. Insect-pollinated and belonging to a family with no known allergy associations, it is one of the safest ground covers available for allergy-sensitive Arizona gardens.
Symptoms:
Itchy eyes, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Summer
Weed
Trailing Lantana
Lantana montevidensis
Trailing Lantana is one of Arizona’s most widely used low-water ground covers, blanketing slopes, borders, and parkways with purple, white, or lavender flowers nearly year-round. Like its upright relative Lantana camara, it carries a contact allergy risk from lantadene compounds in its leaf hairs and sap, but it is generally considered less invasive and produces fewer berries, making it a more manageable landscape choice.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Nasal congestion, Itchy eyes, Red eyes, Hives, Eczema flare-up, Itchy skin
Severity: Low
Spring
Tree
Dwarf Myrtle
Myrtus communis ‘Compacta’
Dwarf Myrtle is a compact, aromatic evergreen shrub widely used in Arizona landscapes for formal hedges, borders, and low screening. Pollinated by bees and flies rather than wind, it is not a significant airborne allergen, though its fragrant essential oils can irritate those who are chemically sensitive, and the pollen may occasionally trigger mild symptoms in sensitized individuals.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Runny nose, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Itchy throat
Severity: Low
Spring
Weed
Desert Zinnia
Zinnia acerosa
Desert Zinnia is a low-growing native perennial subshrub of Arizona’s upper desert and chaparral zones, forming compact mounds of needle-like foliage topped with small white and yellow daisy flowers from spring through fall. As a member of Asteraceae it carries the characteristic sesquiterpene lactone contact allergy profile of the family.
Symptoms:
Sneezing, Nasal itching, Itchy eyes, Watery eyes, Eczema flare-up
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