Bloomipedia
Florida pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida)
Photo: brycelee via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Florida pennyroyal

Piloblephis rigida

Florida pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida) is a shrub in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly January–March across the U.S.

Native to Florida

Florida pennyroyal is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Florida it's most often seen in bloom in January–March.

2states where USDA records it
3,773FL sightings*
3,773U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Florida

Quick look

Piloblephis is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1838. It contains only one known species, Piloblephis rigida, the wild pennyroyal, or pennyroyal native to Florida, southern Georgia, and the Bahamas.

  • It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Florida. NatureServe
  • In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–March. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 3,773 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #72 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

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

Flowering records by month in Florida (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (801 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
G3 Vulnerable 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: GA (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 pennyroyal in 2 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Volusia.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Pycnothymus rigidus, Satureja rigida.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 35 counties across 1 states; the most are in Florida (35).

More from the Lamiaceae family (44 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common selfheal, Ground-ivy, Red deadnettle, American beautyberry, Henbit deadnettle, Wild bergamot, Lyreleaf sage, American germander.

More Florida flowers

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Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata)

Lyreleaf sage

Salvia lyrata

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White beggarticks (Bidens alba)

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

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🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

Sources