Flower profile
Nickernut
Guilandina bonduc
Nickernut 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–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Florida
Quick look
Guilandina bonduc, commonly known as nicker nut amongst other names, is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae that has a mostly pantropical distribution. It is a scrambling, thorny shrub or vine that is mostly found close to coastlines, and was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a vine with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 3,844 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #65 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
Nickernut gift ideas
Handmade nickernut gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Nickernut art print
-
Placeholder
Nickernut greeting card
-
Placeholder
Nickernut mug
-
Placeholder
Nickernut earrings
-
Placeholder
Nickernut embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Nickernut sticker
When does it bloom?
In Florida, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
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
- Florida
- Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). FAC 5B-40.0055
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
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.
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 nickernut in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas.
Florida counties with USDA records: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Indian River, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota, St. Lucie, Volusia.
More Florida flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CABO6.
- iNaturalist, Guilandina bonduc: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Guilandina bonduc (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.
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Eric Schmidt via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.