|  back  | forward |

Houstonia caerulea - (image 1 of 4)

Taxonomy

Family: Rubiaceae

Habitat

Moist soil and meadows.

Associates

Distribution

Nova Scotia and Quebec to WI, south to GA and AR.

Morphology

Herbaceous perennial from slender, fragile rhizomes, eventually forming clumps to 10 cm wide, but can bloom the first year and therefore potentially annual; lower leaves opposite, oblanceolate to spatulate, 5-12 mm, narrowed to a petiole often as long; upper leaves subsessile, oblong-spatulate to linear; peduncles erect, slender, terminal and from the upper axils, 2-7 cm; flowers solitary, heterostylic; sepals narrowly oblong, 1-2 mm, acute; corolla typically light blue-lavender with a pale yellow eye, sometimes white, salverform, the tube 5-10 mm, glabrous within, the limb 10-14 mm wide; stamens included; fruit a capsule 3-4 mm wide, much broader than long; seeds globular, with a deep round cavity occupying the inner face.

Notes

Flowers April to June

Wetland indicator: FACU

Can be found at low elevations all the way up to the alpine zone in mountains. Plants at high elevation tend to have larger capsules and seeds and have been called H. faxonorum.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

Home