North Carolina Wildflowers
by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages
Rubiaceae > Houstonia |
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Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Orange Co., NC
6 April 2005
A common harbinger of Spring in NC, bluets are often found in clearings and edges of woodlands across the state. |
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Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Orange Co., NC
6 April 2005
Occasionally, bluets are used as a nectar source by the first butterflies of Spring. |
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Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Orange Co., NC
5 April 2005
Normally, Bluet flowers have only 4 petals. Note the aberrant individual in the middle upper left with 5 petals! Also note one flower of Tiny Bluet mixed in (reddish/violet flower, see below). |
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Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Durham Co., NC
8 Apr 2009 |
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Tiny Bluet (Housonia pusilla)
Orange Co., NC
5 April 2005
Found mostly in the piedmont in NC, Tiny Bluets are fairly common along the edges of and in clearings in and around woodlands & meadows. |
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Tiny Bluet (Housonia pusilla)
Bladen Co., NC
25 March 2005 |
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Thymeleaf Bluet (Houstonia serpyllifolia)
Graham Co., NC
1 May 2004
Uncommon in rich woodlands in the NC mountains |
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Thymeleaf Bluet (Houstonia serpyllifolia)
Graham Co., NC
1 May 2004 |
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Venus' Pride, Purple Bluets (Houstonia purpurea)
Clay Co., NC
14 May 2005 |
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Venus' Pride, Purple Bluets (Houstonia purpurea)
Buncombe Co., NC
8 July 2006 |
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Venus' Pride, Purple Bluets (Houstonia purpurea)
Wake Co., NC
23 May 2009 |
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Venus' Pride, Purple Bluets (Houstonia purpurea)
Wake Co., NC
23 May 2009 |
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Venus' Pride, Purple Bluets (Houstonia purpurea)
Wake Co., NC
23 May 2009 |
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Eastern Longleaf Bluet (Houstonia longifolia var. compacta)
Thin soils on granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC
3 July 2009Statewide but uncommon in NC, this taxon grows in various dry habitats. |
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Eastern Longleaf Bluet (Houstonia longifolia var. compacta)
Thin soils on granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC
3 July 2009 |
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Eastern Longleaf Bluet (Houstonia longifolia var. compacta)
Thin soils on granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC
3 July 2009 |
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Eastern Longleaf Bluet (Houstonia longifolia var. compacta)
Thin soils on granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC
3 July 2009 |
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Diffuse-branched Bluet (Houstonia tenuifolia, Houstonia longifolia var. tenuifolia)
Durham Co., NC
5 Aug 2006Scattered localities statewide, this bluet is uncommon to rare and grows in dry, wooded habitats. |
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Diffuse-branched Bluet (Houstonia tenuifolia, Houstonia longifolia var. tenuifolia)
Durham Co., NC
5 Aug 2006 |
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Diamond-flower (Houstonia nigricans, Stenaria nigricans)
Brazoria NWR, Brazoria Co., TX
30 Mar 2018 |
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Diamond-flower (Houstonia nigricans, Stenaria nigricans)
Brazoria NWR, Brazoria Co., TX
30 Mar 2018 |
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Diamond-flower (Houstonia nigricans, Stenaria nigricans)
Brazoria NWR, Brazoria Co., TX
30 Mar 2018 |
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Diamond-flower (Houstonia nigricans, Stenaria nigricans)
Brazoria NWR, Brazoria Co., TX
30 Mar 2018 |
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Diamond-flower (Houstonia nigricans, Stenaria nigricans)
Brazoria NWR, Brazoria Co., TX
30 Mar 2018 |
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Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.
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Created on May 7, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com