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Heliotropium angiospermum Murray
Scorpionstail
Florida native
A frequent plant of hammocks, shellmounds and disturbed sites in mostly coastal counties of central and south Florida including the keys. The range includes Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, plus tropical America.
Scorpionstail is a woody shrub growing to over a meter (~3 ft.) tall. The tiny white flowers are in two ranks on curved, terminal spikes becoming 4-6 cm (1.6 - 2.4 in.) long. The corolla tube is 1 - 1.5 mm long, the inside has a yellowish eye, and the five lobes with crinkled margins grow to typically 3 mm (1/8 in.) across. The calyx is united only at the base, with 1.5 - 2 mm long triangular, sparsely pubescent lobes.The leaves of Heliotropium angiospermum are lanceolate and entire, 2.5 - 15.25 cm (1-6 in.) long and 1.3 - 5 cm (1/2 - 2 in.) wide, with petioles over 2 mm (~ 1/16 in.) long. The stems and leaves are hirsute to strigose.
Across the Caribbean, and other areas where their ranges overlap, scorpionstail is a host plant for the harlequin moth (Hyalurga vinosa).
Heliotropium angiospermum is a member of the Boraginaceae - Borage family.
Other species of the Heliotropium genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Heliotropium gnaphalodes - SEA ROSEMARY
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jan 12, 2026
