Flower profile
Pigeonberry
Rivina humilis
Pigeonberry is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–November.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Rivina humilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Petiveriaceae. It was formerly placed in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It can be found in the southern United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and tropical South America. Common names include dogblood, pigeonberry, rougeplant, baby peppers, bloodberry, and coralito.
- It belongs to the Petiveriaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Florida. NatureServe
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–November. iNaturalist
- In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 11,676 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #45 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,447 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #51 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 817 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #52 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
Pigeonberry gift ideas
Handmade pigeonberry 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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Pigeonberry art print
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Pigeonberry greeting card
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Pigeonberry mug
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Pigeonberry earrings
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Pigeonberry embroidery pattern
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Pigeonberry sticker
When does it bloom?
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: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Florida
- Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
- Hawaii
- Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (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.
Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Florida. NatureServe
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 pigeonberry in 8 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Burleson, Burnet, Calhoun, Cameron, Comal, Crockett, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dimmit, Erath, Galveston, Goliad, Grayson, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, La Salle, Lampasas, Llano, Marion, Martin, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Navarro, Nueces, Parker, Pecos, Presidio, Robertson, San Patricio, San Saba, Starr, Tarrant, Terrell, Travis, Val Verde, Washington, Webb, Willacy, Williamson.
Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, Volusia.
Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RIHU2.
- iNaturalist, Rivina humilis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Rivina humilis (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)).
- Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
- Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Rivina humilis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Reanne ("Bean") Dunn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.