Flower profile

Florida bluehearts

Buchnera floridana

Florida bluehearts (Buchnera floridana) is a flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.

Native to Florida

Florida bluehearts is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Florida it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

24states where USDA records it

4,627FL sightings*

5,316U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Florida

Quick look

Buchnera floridana, the Florida bluehearts, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to the southeastern USA, Texas, eastern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Panama, and most of the Caribbean islands. A hemiparasitic biennial, it is found mostly in wet areas such as open pinelands, flatwoods, and pitcher-plant bogs of the Gulf Coastal Plain.
From Wikipedia's article Buchnera floridana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 24 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,627 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #47 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Florida, most flowering sightings come in March–May.

Flowering records by month in Florida (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (341 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
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (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 Florida bluehearts in 24 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia; District of Columbia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jackson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Puerto Rico: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Buchnera breviflora.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 383 counties across 26 states; the most are in Florida (61), Texas (34), Louisiana (32).

More from the Orobanchaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Texas paintbrush, Canadian lousewort, Purple owl's-clover, Warrior's plume, Felt paintbrush, Elephant's-Head lousewort, Giant red paintbrush, Narrowleaf cow wheat.

More Florida flowers

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Largeflower Mexican clover

Richardia grandiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: November–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile BUAM.
iNaturalist, Buchnera floridana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Buchnera floridana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Buchnera floridana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Andrew Conboy via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.