Houstonia caerulea, commonly known as azure bluet, Quaker ladies, or bluets,[2] is a perennial species in the family Rubiaceae.[1] It is native to eastern Canada (Ontario to Newfoundland) and the eastern United States (Maine to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Louisiana, with scattered populations in Oklahoma).[3] It is found in a variety of habitats such as cliffs, alpine zones, forests, meadows and shores of rivers or lakes.[4]
Description
Azure Bluet (Houstonia caerulea) in Pennsylvania, close-up
Houstonia caerulea is a perennial herb[2] that produces showy flowers approximately 1 cm (0.39 in) across. These flowers are four-parted with pale blue petals and a yellow center. The foliage is a basal rosette with spatula-shaped leaves.[2] Stems are up to 20 cm (7.9 in) tall with one flower per stalk. Leaves are simple and opposite in arrangement with two leaves per node along the stem.[4] It thrives in moist acidic soils in shady areas, growing especially well among grasses.[5]
Gallery
References
^ abJustice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 236. ISBN0807855979.
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