Flower profile

Tiny bluet

Houstonia pusilla

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

6of our state lists

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 February–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,404 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #58 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,119 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #27 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 821 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #65 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

Tiny bluet gift ideas

Handmade tiny bluet gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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When does it bloom?

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

Bloom time in each of our 6 states

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