Houstonia (plant)
| Houstonia | |
|---|---|
_Hedyotis_caerulea.jpg) |
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| Houstonia caerulea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Rubioideae |
| Tribe: | Spermacoceae |
| Genus: |
Houstonia L. |
| Synonyms | |
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Houstonia (bluet) is a genus of plants in the Rubiaceae family. Many species were formerly placed (along with other now-segregate genera) in a more inclusive Hedyotis.
Bluets are often small and delicate. For example, H. rosea may attain a height of only one inch. Some species have a single-stem, while others are more "bunchy." Flowers may be blue, purple, lavender, white, or rose, often with shades of one color present in a single population. Flowers have four sepals, a salverform corolla with four lobes, and an inferior ovary. Some species exhibit heterostyly. The fruit is many-seeded capsule which usually dehisces via a suture across the apex; often the capsule is roughly heart-shaped.
Houstonia consists of 20 species native to North America. Another five species are classified in the genus Stenaria (Houstonia without Stenaria is paraphyletic). Close relatives of the genus are Oldenlandia microtheca and, more distantly, Arcytophyllum.
Species accepted as of May 2014:
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