Tropical Mexican-clover

Richardia brasiliensis

Found in roadsides, fields, vacant lots, urban areas, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Richardia brasiliensis — flower photograph — (c) Alison Northup, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or perennial
Bloom: May to November

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Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 65 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Richardia

Samea castellalisAssembly Moth, Stained-Glass Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Rubiaceae
Flower color: White

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Tropical Mexican clover

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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