Flower profile
Philippine ground orchid
Spathoglottis plicata
Philippine ground orchid (Spathoglottis plicata) is a flowering plant in the Orchidaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly January–November across the U.S.
Philippine ground orchid is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in January–October.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Spathoglottis plicata, commonly known as the Philippine ground orchid, or large purple orchid is an evergreen, terrestrial plant with crowded pseudobulbs, three or four large, pleated leaves and up to forty resupinate, pink to purple flowers. It is found from tropical and subtropical Asia to Australia and the western Pacific including Tonga and Samoa.
- It belongs to the Orchidaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–October. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,863 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #19 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in January–October.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. 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. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
- 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?
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 philippine ground orchid in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Florida, Hawaii.
Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; Puerto Rico: Introduced; U.S. Virgin Islands: Introduced.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 5 counties across 2 states; the most are in Hawaii (4), Florida (1).
More from the Orchidaceae family (23 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Pink lady's slipper, Crane-fly orchid, Downy rattlesnake plantain, Broad-leaved helleborine, Western rattlesnake plantain, Spotted coralroot, Showy orchis, Putty root.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SPPL.
- iNaturalist, Spathoglottis plicata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Spathoglottis plicata (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.
- NatureServe Explorer, Spathoglottis plicata (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Rose Zappa via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.