Houstonia procumbens (J.F. Gmel.) Standl.

Creeping Bluet; Roundleaf Bluet; Fairy Footprints

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Innocence is a native perennial herbaceous plant in the Coffee family (Rubiaceae). It occurs in the southern third of Alabama. Innocence grows in sandy pine forests, on roadside banks, in lawns, and in cemeteries. It is a mat forming perennial with creeping stems that root at the nodes. The leaves are sessile or short petiolate, opposite on the stem, ovate to orbicular in outline, with ciliate margins. They are yellowish-green in color. Flowers are solitary on short pedicels from the leaf axils. Two types of flowers are produced, chasmogamous (fully opened flowers) and cleistogamous (non-opening buds that self-pollinate). In addition, the chasmogamous flowers are distylous (having flowers with styles of differing length). The chasmogamous flowers are salverform with a tubular lower portion and 4 lobes. The flowers are pure white in color and glabrous within. The fruit is a two-locular capsule. Innocence is not usually available from native plant nurseries. It can be propagated from seed or by dividing rooted portions of the mat. It prefers a moist, sandy soil and full sun. It makes an interesting low growing cover, rock garden plant, or terrarium plant. Because of its small size and ground hugging growth form it is often over looked. It also tends to get covered over by larger plants or pine straw if the forest has not burned recently.--A. Diamond

**

Native

**