Flower profile

Carolina snailseed

Nephroia carolina

Carolina snailseed (Nephroia carolina) is a flowering plant in the Menispermaceae family, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Carolina snailseed is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

–states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

23,159U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas

Quick look

Nephroia carolina, commonly called the Carolina coralbead, snailseed, Carolina Moonseed, or Margil's Vine, is a perennial vine of the moonseed family (Menispermaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in northeastern Mexico and in several states in the United States from the Southeast to the Midwest.
From Wikipedia's article Nephroia carolina, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Menispermaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 17,046 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #22 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,373 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #82 among the 182 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,030 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #21 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (135 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	June–August	17,046
Tennessee	Native	few records (6)	1,373
Oklahoma	Native	few records (5)	1,030
Alabama	Native	few records (7)	843
Arkansas	Native	few records (11)	600
Louisiana	Native	few records (4)	553

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}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
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: VA (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)) 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.