Flower profile

Sunshine mimosa

Mimosa strigillosa

Native in the lower 48

Sunshine mimosa is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–November.

6states

2of our state lists

6,853U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Florida, Louisiana

Quick look

Mimosa strigillosa, also known as sunshine mimosa and powderpuff, is a perennial ground cover in the family Fabaceae that is native to nearly all US states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and grows north into Georgia and Arkansas as well. The name powderpuff refers to the small spherical flowers that rise above the plant's creeping vines.
From Wikipedia's article Mimosa strigillosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 6 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–November. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–September. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,743 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #71 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 403 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #92 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist

Sunshine mimosa gift ideas

Handmade sunshine mimosa 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.

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Sunshine mimosa art print
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (945 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	March–November	3,743
Louisiana	Native	April–September	403

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KY (S2), MO (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 sunshine mimosa in 6 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Brevard, Citrus, Clay, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Volusia.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

More Florida flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: March–September

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: May–October

Partridge pea

Chamaecrista fasciculata

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: April–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MIST2.
iNaturalist, Mimosa strigillosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Mimosa strigillosa (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, Mimosa strigillosa (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Ben Machado via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.