Flower profile

Tiny bluet

Houstonia pusilla

Tiny bluet (Houstonia pusilla) is a flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Tiny bluet is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.

24states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

14,121U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina

Quick look

Houstonia pusilla is a plant in the family Rubiaceae native to the United States and common in the southeastern and central parts of the country, from Texas to Florida north to Long Island and South Dakota, plus an isolated population in Pima County, Arizona.
From Wikipedia's article Houstonia pusilla, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rubiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 24 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–March. ^iNaturalist
In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,404 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #60 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,119 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #28 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 821 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #69 among the 167 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,150 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	Native	February–March	1,404
Arkansas	Native	March–April	1,119
Alabama	Native	February–March	821
Oklahoma	Native	March–April	779
South Carolina	Native	February–March	531
Mississippi	Native	February–March	386

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records tiny bluet in 24 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Appling, Barrow, Bartow, Clarke, Columbia, DeKalb, Effingham, Elbert, Greene, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rockdale, Telfair, Terrell, Walton, Whitfield.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, Yell.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Escambia, Etowah, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Hedyotis crassifolia, Hedyotis minima, Houstonia minima, Houstonia patens.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 647 counties across 21 states; the most are in Missouri (75), Arkansas (69), Texas (57).

Other Houstonia on Bloomipedia (4): Azure bluet, Summer bluet, Roundleaf bluet, Thyme-leaved bluet.

More from the Rubiaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Partridgeberry, Buttonbush, Field madder, Largeflower Mexican clover, Buttonweed, Shiny-leaved wild coffee, Diamond-flowers, Shrubby false buttonweed.

More Georgia flowers

Partridgeberry

Mitchella repens

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: April–May

Field madder

Sherardia arvensis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in GA: March–May

Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: June–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HOPU3.
iNaturalist, Houstonia pusilla: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Houstonia pusilla (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Houstonia pusilla (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Megan Massa via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.