Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - Narrow-leaf bluets

NARROW-LEAF BLUETS

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Hedyotis nigricans (Lam. ) Fosberg

Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 4-20 inches

Family: Rubiaceae - Madder Family

Flowering Period: May, June, July, August, September

Stems:

Erect or ascending, stiff, few to many, often branched, glabrous or slightly rough.

Leaves:

Opposite, simple, sessile, numerous, ascending, mostly linear, .5 to 1.5 inches long, less than 1/8 inch wide, 1-nerved, mostly glabrous; margins entire, often curling downward; tips pointed; clusters of smaller leaves frequently occur in leaf axils.

Inflorescences:

Dense clusters, terminal.

Flowers:

Numerous, sessile or short-stalked; calyces with 4 distinct, green sepals; corollas funnel-shaped, 4-lobed, about 1/4 inch wide, white, pink or sometimes bluish purple, densely pubescent within and on lobes; stamens 4.

Fruits:

Capsules, egg-shaped, partially enclosed in calyces; seeds small, black, covered with minute bumps.

Habitat:

Open hillsides, open woods, roadsides, stream valleys; most abundant on dry, rocky, limestone soils.

Distribution:

Throughout Kansas

Comments:

Narrow-leaf bluets has a deep taproot and is hardy and adaptable to a wide range of conditions.

Narrow-leaf bluets