Bloomipedia
American buckwheat vine (Brunnichia ovata)
Photo: Sean Golden via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

American buckwheat vine

Brunnichia ovata

Native to Louisiana

American buckwheat vine is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Louisiana it's most often seen in bloom in May–October.

14states
565LA sightings*
1,932U.S. sightings*

*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
  • In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–October. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 565 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #53 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist

American buckwheat vine gift ideas

Handmade american buckwheat vine gifts from independent makers.

When does it bloom?

In Louisiana, most flowering sightings come in May–October.

Flowering records by month in Louisiana (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (20 records)

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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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.

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.