This section is from the book "Who's Who Among The Wild Flowers", by W. I. Beecroft. Also available from Amazon: A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants.
Quaker Ladies: Quaker Bonnets: Venus Pride: Houstonia.
Houstonia caerulea. Madder Family. Apr. - July.
A delicate little plant found in patches, almost carpeting moist, grassy places. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Wisconsin, southward to Georgia and Alabama.
Pale violet, lilac or white, center yellow, about l/2 inch across, 4-lobed, on slender stems 3 - 6 inches high.
Opposite, seated on stem, lower ones broader near the tip. H. purpurea is a southern species. Flowers deep or pale lilac, in small clusters. Leaves broad or lance-shaped, 3 - 5 ribbed. Plant stems smooth or hairy. Maryland to Iowa and southwest.
Bluets.
 
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