Bloomipedia
Scarlet spiderling (Boerhavia coccinea)
Photo: Wendy McCrady via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Scarlet spiderling

Boerhavia coccinea

Scarlet spiderling (Boerhavia coccinea) is a flowering plant in the Nyctaginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–October across the U.S.

Native to Arizona

Scarlet spiderling is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in August–October.

13states where USDA records it
1,165AZ sightings*
4,057U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arizona

Quick look

Boerhavia coccinea is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is known by many common names, including tar vine scarlet spiderling and red boerhavia.

  • It belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 13 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
  • In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–October. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,165 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #86 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in August–October.

Flowering records by month in Arizona (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (92 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
Arizona
Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
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?

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 scarlet spiderling in 13 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Native; Puerto Rico: Native; U.S. Virgin Islands: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Boerhavia caribaea.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 65 counties across 7 states; the most are in Texas (39), Arizona (11), New Mexico (5).

More from the Nyctaginaceae family (9 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Wishbone bush, Trailing windmills, Marvel of Peru, Wild Four o'Clock, Colorado Four o'Clock, Great basin sand verbena, Snowball sand verbena, Purple sand verbena.

More Arizona flowers

Trailing windmills (Allionia incarnata)

Trailing windmills

Allionia incarnata

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–October
Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra)

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea glabra

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌷 Grown in Arizona gardens
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)

Saguaro

Carnegiea gigantea

★ AZ state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

Sources