Flower profile

Coral creeper

Barleria repens

Coral creeper (Barleria repens) is a flowering plant in the Acanthaceae family, blooming mostly March–December across the U.S.

Coral creeper is a flowering plant. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in March–December.

–states where USDA records it

1,101HI sightings*

1,247U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Hawaii

Quick look

Barleria repens, the small bush violet, also known as the coral creeper, is a plant in the family Acanthaceae. It occurs in forests and woodlands from tropical Africa to South Africa. It can handle shade but prefers full sun in sandy soils.
From Wikipedia's article Barleria repens, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. ^iNaturalist
In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–December. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,101 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #40 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in March–December.

Flowering records by month in Hawaii (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (50 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^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. ^{HAR 13-107}

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.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

More from the Acanthaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Carolina ruellia, American water-willow, Hairy ruellia, Mexican ruellia, Common wild petunia, Chuparosa, Black mangrove, Chinese violet.

More Hawaii flowers

Chinese violet

Asystasia gangetica

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

Squirrel's tail

Justicia betonica

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in HI

Cardinal’s guard

Odontonema cuspidatum

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in HI

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Barleria repens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Barleria repens (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.
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Drew T via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.