Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Gentianales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Houstonia purpurea
FAMILY
Rubiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Summer Bluet at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
FAMILY
Rubiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
INCLUDED WITHIN The Genera of Cinchonoideae (Rubiaceae) in the southeastern US (Rogers, 1987)
Hedyotis purpurea
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 173-08-005:
Houstonia purpurea FAMILY Rubiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Houstonia purpurea
COMMON NAME:
Summer Bluet, Mountain Bluet, Woodland Bluet, Purple Bluet
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm230418_2591
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230418_2604
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm120517_894
May Yancey County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm210516_0439
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3376
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3383
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
Leaves with pubescence ciliate on the leaf margin, on the midrib, and scattered on the surface, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3385
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230531_3589
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm250521_3312
May Greenville County SC
Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
)
Diane Creaton dmc03319
June Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
)
JK Marlow jkm090610_074
June Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Numerous white to lavender flowers on short pedicels in terminal cyme, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm090610_074b
June Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Calyx lobes 1-7mm long, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
JK Marlow jkm090610_074c
June Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Corolla tube 5-7mm long, granular to densely pubescent within, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm090610_079
June Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Stem leaves opposite, ovate, 1-2" long, >0.5" wide, with 3-5 main veins, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm100626_125
June Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
Flowers funnelform & in clusters; leaves ovate-lanceolate & sessile, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm140627_427
June Transylvania County NC
Foothills Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm230713_4379
July Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm0311f_03
November Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
)
JK Marlow jkm221108_0641
November Greenville County SC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Houstonia purpurea
FAMILY
Rubiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
FAMILY
Rubiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea
INCLUDED WITHIN
The Genera of Cinchonoideae (Rubiaceae) in the southeastern US (Rogers, 1987)
Hedyotis purpurea
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 173-08-005:
Houstonia purpurea
FAMILY
Rubiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Houstonia purpurea
699
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Moist and dry woodlands and forests, thinner soils around rock outcrops, and in a variety of disturbed sites, such as paths, old roads, and roadbanks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (rare in Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite (basal leaves absent or withered at flowering)
Margins entire
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Lavender/Pinkish/White
Radially symmetrical
4 sepals
4-lobed funnelform corolla
4 included stamens
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p180
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p133
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p070
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p192
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p238
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p158
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p353
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p098
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p237
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p319
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p264
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p306
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p165
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p142
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