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Prairie bluet

Stenaria nigricans

Other common name(s):

Baby’s Breath, Bluets, Diamond-flowers

Family:

Rubiaceae (Madder Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Canadian/Cimarron High Plains, Rolling Sand Plains
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous, Shrub

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Semi Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Gravelly, Rocky, Limestone, Calcareous

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies

Maintenance

Easily grown in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates close to full shade. Avoid full sun locations in hot summer climates where morning sun with afternoon shade is probably best. Does well in sandy or calcareous soils and rock gardens.

Comments

Blooms April-November. It is native to a variety of habitats including dry rocky prairies, rocky open woods, grassy hillsides, rocky stream banks, limestone bluffs, and along roadsides. Leave opposite, very narrow. The tiny flowers bloom in clusters at the stem ends. Flowers are followed by tiny, seeded fruits. Attracts: butterflies.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=STNI6, 2) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=22294&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 3) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=845994#null, 4) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=302222