FNPS Plant Database

Spigelia marilandica

woodland pinkroot
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Rick Cantrell, Magnolia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Eleanor Dietrich, Magnolia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Eleanor Dietrich, Magnolia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Eleanor Dietrich, Magnolia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

woodland pinkroot

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Spigelia marilandica

Family:

Strychnaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

2–3 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow, red

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden. Blooms best in light shade. Use in a bog, pond or water garden.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed or root division. Apparently difficult to grow from cuttings.

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Hummingbirds

Attracts hummingbirds which are the primary pollinator.

Native Habitats:

Upland woods

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Bloom period can be prolonged by removing flowers as they wither. It does not compete well with aggressive plants.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Florida Wildflower Foundation. (2021). Flower Friday: Woodland pinkroot. ( https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-spigelia-marilandica/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland.


Hilty, John. (2002-2018). Wildflowers of Illinois in Woodlands: Indian Pink. ( https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/indian_pink.html. Accessed 2026.


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Stritch, Larry. (Undated). Plant of the Week: Indian Pink ( Spigelia marilandica ). ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/spigelia_marilandica.shtml ). Accessed 2026. U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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