Flower profile
Sweet clockvine
Thunbergia fragrans
Sweet clockvine (Thunbergia fragrans) is a vine in the Acanthaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–December across the U.S.
Sweet clockvine is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Thunbergia fragrans, the whitelady is a perennial climbing twiner in the family Acanthaceae, native to South and Southeast Asia and China.
- It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a vine 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
- iNaturalist has 640 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #78 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
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 sweet clockvine 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.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Thunbergia volubilis.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 14 counties across 2 states; the most are in Florida (10), Hawaii (4).
More from the Acanthaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Carolina ruellia, American water-willow, Hairy ruellia, Mexican ruellia, Common wild petunia, Chuparosa, Black mangrove, Chinese violet.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile THFR2.
- iNaturalist, Thunbergia fragrans: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Thunbergia fragrans (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, Thunbergia fragrans (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Eric Knight via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.