While hiking in the woods near Youngstown, Ohio I noticed a bit of color on the forest floor.
Large drifts of Bluets can be visible from afar. Nonetheless, this is a plant that warrants dropping to the ground to better appreciate the nuances of its tiny flowers.
With the Latin Name of Houstonia caerulea, the genus name commemorates Scottish botanist William Houstoun (1695-1733), who spent time in the American tropics exploring and collecting plants.
This small, delicate perennial is often found growing in compact tufts, about 8 inches high. The plants may cover broad expanses. Its tiny flowers are pale blue with yellow centers.
There are two flower types: “pins,” with long style and short stamens, and “thrums” with short style and long stamens. Such flowers are called distylous.
Bluets are native to eastern Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland) and the eastern United States (from Maine to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Louisiana, with scattered populations in Oklahoma).
This plant is found in a variety of habitats such as cliffs, alpine zones, forests, meadows and shores of rivers or lakes.