North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Houstonia purpurea

Houstonia purpurea L.

summer bluet, venus’ pride

Image ID: 14840
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: HOPU2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Houstonia purpurea
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-12-14

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: HOUST
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Houstonia
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Bluet
GENUS SUMMARY: The generic limits of Houstonia, Hedyotis, Oldenlandia, and Stenaria have been controversial, with much shuffling of generic configuration. It now appears that Houstonia should be recognized as a genus separate from Hedyotis and Oldenlandia, with Stenaria included in Houstonia (Guo et al. 2013; Wikstr�m et al. 2013, and other references).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: In the key below, all leaf measurements and length/width ratios are based on median cauline leaves.
GENUS REFERENCES: Terrell (1959)=Z; Terrell (1991)=Y; Terrell (1996)=X; Rogers (1987)=Q; Ward (2004c)=V; Church & Taylor (2005); Church (2003); Turner (1995b)=U; Terrell (2001)=M; Rogers (2005); Terrell (2007); Guo et al. (2013); Wikstr�m et al. (2013). Key adapted in part from the references.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: RUBIAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Rubiaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Madder Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 630-650 genera and 10,200-13,000 species, trees, shrubs, vines, and rarely herbs, cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in tropical and subtropical areas. Subfamily and tribe classification follows Bremer & Eriksson (2009).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Bremer & Eriksson (2009); Rogers (1987, 2005).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial of moist and dry woodlands and forests, road banks, thinner soils around rock outcrops and a variety of disturbed sites.
STEMS: Stems 4-angled and narrowly winged, often furry.
LEAVES: Leaves opposite (basal rosette barely evident at flowering), oval to lance-shaped, sessile, 1/2-1 1/2 in. long, with 3-7 noticeable veins and hairy at least along the veins.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in small branching clusters at stem top or from upper axils; pale purple to white; to 1/4 in. long; funnel-shaped with 4 spreading, pointed corolla lobes.
FRUITS: Fruit a rounded, slightly compressed capsule.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 4-12 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-Jul

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Pale purple to white

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x						x		x

FRUITING PERIOD: Jul-Aug.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Dry forests, Moist forests, Outcrops and glades, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE:
LIGHT EXPOSURE:
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
266	2011-0120	2011-06-16	271	View
4278	1992-0434			View
4954	1995-0072			View
5403	1995-0525			View
5840	1995-0968			View
6133	1995-1264			View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
271	HORT	2010-11-24	Liloia	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
650	266	15	Heiney	2011-05-17	View
6606	4278	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7373	4954	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7901	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7902	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7903	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7904	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7905	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7906	5403	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8355	5840	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8788	6133	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: HOPU2
USDA Common Name: Venus' Pride
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Houstonia purpurea
COMMON NAME: Summer Bluet
SYNONYMY: [= F, S; = Houstonia purpurea Linnaeus var. purpurea - G, K, Pa, Va, WV, X, Y, Z; < Houstonia purpurea - Mo, RAB, W, WH3; < Hedyotis purpurea (Linnaeus) Torrey & A. Gray - C, Q; = Hedyotis purpurea (Linnaeus) Torrey & A. Gray var. purpurea]
PHENOLOGY: May-Jul; Jul-Aug.
HABITAT: Moist and dry woodlands and forests, roadbanks, thinner soils around rock outcrops, a variety of disturbed sites
COMMENTS: H. purpurea ranges from DE, MD, and s. PA west to s. OH, s. IL, and sw. MO south to SC, sw. GA, Panhandle FL, MS, s. LA, e. TX, and e. OK. Plants growing in high elevation and exposed sites are sometimes dwarfed, and in that respect only, superficially resemble H. montana.
RANGE MAP: Houstonia purpurea.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Rubiaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Madder Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 630-650 genera and 10,200-13,000 species, trees, shrubs, vines, and rarely herbs, cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in tropical and subtropical areas. Subfamily and tribe classification follows Bremer & Eriksson (2009).
REFERENCE: Bremer & Eriksson (2009); Rogers (1987, 2005).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Houstonia L. (Bluet)
SUMMARY: The generic limits of Houstonia, Hedyotis, Oldenlandia, and Stenaria have been controversial, with much shuffling of generic configuration. It now appears that Houstonia should be recognized as a genus separate from Hedyotis and Oldenlandia, with Stenaria included in Houstonia (Guo et al. 2013; Wikstr�m et al. 2013, and other references).
REFERENCE: Terrell (1959)=Z; Terrell (1991)=Y; Terrell (1996)=X; Rogers (1987)=Q; Ward (2004c)=V; Church & Taylor (2005); Church (2003); Turner (1995b)=U; Terrell (2001)=M; Rogers (2005); Terrell (2007); Guo et al. (2013); Wikstr�m et al. (2013). Key adapted in part from the references.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Houstonia purpurea in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Houstonia purpurea in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Houstonia purpurea in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Houstonia purpurea in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Houstonia purpurea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Houstonia purpurea

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 14840 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 14839 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 23930 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)