Spring is definitely here in north central Florida. Flowers are popping up everywhere, including the colorful Drummond’s phlox that our roadways are famous for. The phlox comes in a huge variety of colors, most of which are bright and highly noticeable, but they are hardly the only flowers beside our roads. One of the most overlooked of those are the roundleaf bluets (Houstonia procumbens), also known as woodland innocence or simply innocence. The flowers are pretty small and plain white except for their lovely yellow centers, and I’m sure that’s part of the reason that they are often overlooked. They form pretty blankets of these flowers along the ground. They usually only grow 1-2 inches high, but can spread widely.

Another reason that roundleaf bluets may be overlooked is that they can only be found in a limited part of the southeastern United States. More specifically, they are found in coastal South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. They like moist, open areas (like roadsides) with plenty of sunshine. They also like sandy soils, so they usually inhabit the sandhills, pine flatwoods, and scrub habitats. They’re one of the first spring flowers to start blooming, so they are always a welcome sight for those who are tired of winter. Roundleaf bluets are members of the Rubiaceae family, which also includes coffee and many species of northern bluets (which are actually blue). Since I’m one of those folks who looks forward to spring each year, I’m always quite pleased the first time I see roundleaf bluets.