Rouge Plant

Rouge Plant (Rivina humilis), also known as Pigeonberry is a small shrub native to Florida. It blooms with the tiniest of pink flowers, which are easy to overlook because they are so diminutive. However, the brilliant scarlet berries of this shrub are sure to draw the eye.

Rouge Plant can also be found from Arkansas and Louisiana, west to Arizona. In the southernmost portion of Texas, this plant is also a host for the tiny Goodson's Greenstreak (Cyanophrys goodsoni) butterfly.

Normally growing to a height of about 1 and a half feet, this small but pretty species can often be found in the hammocks of Peninsular Florida growing beneath trees and large shrubs.

What's in a Name:

The genus name Rivina is named for the German botanist Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (1652 – 1723). Rivinus was a professor and later dean at the University of Leipzig and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

The specific epithet humilis is the Latin word for humility or something that is low and humble, likely in reference to the low growing nature of this plant and the tiny but lovely blooms

This species was named by Carl Linnaeus.