English: Rouge plant; Rougeplant; Pigeon Berry; Pigeonberry; Baby peppers; Baby Pepper; Bloodberry; Dogblood; Coralito.
Clades:
PetiveriaceaeRegion: southern United States, Caribbean, Central America, tropical South America; invasive in New Caledonia, Queensland, Cocos Islands, Réunion, Norfolk Island, Fiji, Tonga, French Polynesia, Hawaii, India and the Galapagos Islands.
Habitat: in forests, thickets, shell middens, hammocks, roadsides, disturbed areas; elevations from sea level to 1700 m; requires less than partial sun and is tolerant of full shade; tolerant of salt spray and saline soils.
Content: rivianin, rivinianin, a pigment known, formula C24H26N2O16S, similar to betanin; betaxanthin, humilixanthin.
Use: ornamental in warm regions, valued as a shade-tolerant groundcover; as a houseplant and in greenhouses; juice of the berries as a dye and ink.
TaxonomyRivina humilis was formerly placed in the
Phytolaccaceae.
Rivina humilisBotanyHerb; erect; evergreen; perennial; vine-like; 40 to 200 cm tall.
Leaves: up to 15 cm long, 9 cm wide; petiole 1 to 11 cm long
Inflorescence: racemes; 4 to 15 cm long; peduncle 1 to 5 cm.
Flowers: pedicels 2 to 8 mm long; sepals are 1 to 4 mm long, white or green to pink or purplish.
Fruit: glossy, bright red berry; 2 to 5 mm in diameter.