| Author | (Walt. ex J.F. Gmel.) Standl. | |
| Distribution | Known only from single sites in Brunswick County, where discovered at a golf course on the mainland of Sunset Beach in 2020 by Harry LeGrand; and in New Hanover County, where photographed in 2021 on iNaturalist (habitat not known). A specimen from Moore County in 2023 came from a yard in a mulched area; this seems best to be treated as a non-natural occurrence.
Ranges from extreme southeastern NC to FL and west to eastern LA. | |
| Abundance | Very rare. Known from one or two small populations -- perhaps 1m x 0.5m in extent in Brunswick County. Added to the NCNHP's Significantly Rare list in 2021. | |
| Habitat | In NC, a frequently mowed grassy area at a golf course, in sandy soil (Brunswick County). Elsewhere, natural habitats are moist to dry (sandy) pinelands, dunes, and other sandy areas. Can occur in lawns, vacant sandy lots, and along trails. | |
| Phenology | Peak blooming from February to April, but it can bloom over much of the year, secondarily from October into winter. Fruits soon after flowering. | |
| Identification | This is a quite different Houstonia from others in NC, it being prostrate with small dimensions, almost a "belly plant". The numerous creeping stems grow only to about 2-4 inches long, with numerous opposite leaves that are oval to orbicular, only about 7-10 mm long and nearly as wide. A few scattered flowering stalks rise only about 1 inch tall, with a solitary white flower that averages only 2/5-inch across. Plants typically grow in a somewhat tangled mass such that it is difficult to count the number of individuals. If not in bloom, when the small white flowers are visible, a mat of the plant can be easily overlooked. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Creeping Bluet, Fairy-footprints | |
| State Rank | S1 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | SR-P | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
