Flower profile

Woodland pinkroot

Spigelia marilandica

Woodland pinkroot (Spigelia marilandica) is a flowering plant in the Loganiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Woodland pinkroot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

17states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

7,338U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Spigelia marilandica, the woodland pinkroot or Indian pink is a herbacious perennial wildflower in the Loganiaceae family native to inland areas of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Spigelia marilandica, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Loganiaceae 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 17 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
In Alabama, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,978 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #51 among the 182 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,097 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #45 among the 167 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 611 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #88 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (862 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Tennessee	Native	May–June	1,978
Alabama	Native	April–May	1,097
Arkansas	Native	May–June	611
South Carolina	Native	April–May	482
Louisiana	Native	few records (27)	395
Mississippi	Native	April–May	317

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
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in South Carolina.
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.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IN (S1), NC (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 peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems. Symptoms they list: “Dim vision, vomiting, dilated pupils, twitching of face, culvulsions” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 woodland pinkroot in 17 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cheatham, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Franklin, Grainger, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henderson, Hickman, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, Marion, Marshall, Maury, McMinn, McNairy, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Overton, Perry, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Bibb, Butler, Calhoun, Coosa, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Geneva, Hale, Jefferson, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Cross, Drew, Faulkner, Fulton, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Izard, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Phillips, Pike, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Yell.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 340 counties across 13 states; the most are in Tennessee (64), Georgia (46), Arkansas (44).

More Tennessee flowers

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in TN: June–September

Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

Native

🌼 Blooms in TN: April

Amur honeysuckle

Lonicera maackii

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in TN: March–April

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SPMA3.
iNaturalist, Spigelia marilandica: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Spigelia marilandica (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Spigelia marilandica (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Anthony A Simmons via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.