Flower profile
Cardinal’s guard
Odontonema cuspidatum
Cardinal’s guard is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Odontonema cuspidatum, the mottled toothedthread, the Cardinal's guard, or the firespike, is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae which is endemic to Mexico, but has been introduced to Florida, Central America, South America, the West Indies, and several Pacific Islands.
- It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 673 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #72 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
Cardinal’s guard gift ideas
Handmade cardinal’s guard 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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Cardinal’s guard art print
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Cardinal’s guard greeting card
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Cardinal’s guard mug
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Cardinal’s guard earrings
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Cardinal’s guard embroidery pattern
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Cardinal’s guard sticker
When does it bloom?
In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- 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
- 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 cardinal’s guard in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Florida, Hawaii.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ODCU.
- iNaturalist, Odontonema cuspidatum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Odontonema cuspidatum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- 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, Odontonema cuspidatum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: florawhite via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.