Flower profile

Clasping Venus's looking glass

Triodanis perfoliata

Clasping Venus's looking glass (Triodanis perfoliata) is a flowering plant in the Campanulaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native to Delaware

Clasping Venus's looking glass is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

47states where USDA records it

195DE sightings*

14,601U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Delaware

Quick look

Triodanis perfoliata, the clasping Venus' looking-glass or clasping bellflower, is an annual flowering plant belonging to the family Campanulaceae. It is an annual herb native to North and South America, the natural range extending from Canada to Argentina. It is also naturalized in China, Korea and Australia.
From Wikipedia's article Triodanis perfoliata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Campanulaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 47 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Delaware. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 195 research-grade sightings of it in Delaware, ranking #73 among the 164 flowers on our Delaware list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Delaware (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (38 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: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
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?

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 clasping Venus's looking glass in 47 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Delaware counties with USDA records: New Castle.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Legousia perfoliata, Specularia perfoliata.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 1273 counties across 40 states; the most are in Texas (95), Illinois (91), North Carolina (86).

More from the Campanulaceae family (8 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Cardinal flower, Great blue lobelia, Tall bellflower, Indian tobacco, Creeping bellflower, Western harebell, Downy lobelia, Mountain harebell.

More Delaware flowers

Cardinal flower

Lobelia cardinalis

Native

🌼 Blooms in DE: July–September

Great blue lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

Native

🌼 Blooms in DE: August–October

Indian tobacco

Lobelia inflata

Native

🌼 Blooms in DE: July–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TRPE4.
iNaturalist, Triodanis perfoliata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Triodanis perfoliata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Triodanis perfoliata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.