Houstonia purpurea (formerly Hedyotis purpurea) is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names Venus's pride, woodland bluet, and purple bluet. It is native to the eastern United States from eastern Texas and Oklahoma east to Florida and Pennsylvania, with scattered populations in Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, New York State and New England.

Houstonia purpurea
Houstonia purpurea var. montana

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Houstonia
Species:
H. purpurea
Binomial name
Houstonia purpurea
Synonyms

Hedyotis purpurea

There are three varieties of this species. The rarest, var. montana (Roan Mountain bluet) is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. It occurs only in the southern Appalachians along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. It is named for Roan Mountain, one of a very few mountain peaks where it grows.[1][2]

Flower
Leaf

References

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  • The Nature Conservancy[permanent dead link]
  • USDA Plants Profile
  • "Houstonia purpurea". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.