Flower profile
American buckwheat vine
Brunnichia ovata
American buckwheat vine (Brunnichia ovata) is a vine in the Polygonaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.
American buckwheat vine is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Louisiana
Quick look
Brunnichia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. It includes a single species, Brunnichia ovata, commonly known as redvine, American buckwheat vine or ladies' eardrops, a woody vine native to the central and southeastern United States.
- It belongs to the Polygonaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a vine with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 14 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Louisiana. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 565 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #56 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist
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
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Louisiana
- No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: SC (S2). (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 American buckwheat vine in 14 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.
Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Brunnichia cirrhosa, Rajania ovata.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 309 counties across 13 states; the most are in Louisiana (62), Arkansas (57), Mississippi (49).
More from the Polygonaceae family (21 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): California buckwheat, American jumpseed, Low smartweed, Japanese knotweed, Sulfur buckwheat, Mile-a-minute weed, Water smartweed, Desert trumpet.
More Louisiana flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile BROV4.
- iNaturalist, Brunnichia ovata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Brunnichia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Brunnichia ovata (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Sean Golden via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.