Bloomipedia
Carolina ponysfoot (Dichondra carolinensis)
Photo: Amber M. King via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Carolina ponysfoot

Dichondra carolinensis

Native to Louisiana

Carolina ponysfoot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

17states
543LA sightings*
10,257U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Louisiana

Quick look

Dichondra carolinensis, commonly known as Carolina ponysfoot, is a small herbaceous plant native to Bermuda and the south-eastern United States.

  • It belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 17 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Louisiana. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 543 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #60 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist

Carolina ponysfoot gift ideas

Handmade carolina ponysfoot gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (169 records)

There are only a handful of Louisiana flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

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
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: MO (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.

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 Carolina ponysfoot in 17 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, 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, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

More Louisiana flowers

Tievine (Ipomoea cordatotriloba)

Tievine

Ipomoea cordatotriloba

Native

🌼 Blooms in LA: April–October
Hairy cluster-vine (Jacquemontia tamnifolia)

Hairy cluster-vine

Jacquemontia tamnifolia

Native

🌼 Blooms in LA: July–November
White clover (Trifolium repens)

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in LA: January–October

Sources

  • USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DICA3.
  • iNaturalist, Dichondra carolinensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
  • Wikipedia, Dichondra carolinensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
  • USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
  • NatureServe Explorer, Dichondra carolinensis (global and state ranks).
  • Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
  • Photo: Amber M. King via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.