Houstonia longifolia Gaertner var. glabra Terrell. Granite Dome Bluet. Phen: Jun-Aug; Sep-Oct. Hab: Seasonally and periodically wet soils of shallow soil mats and crevices of granitic domes. Dist: Var. glabra is endemic to the granitic dome district centered around Highlands, NC, occurring in sw. NC, nw. SC, and ne. GA
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Other Comments: Terrell (1959) says "the lower internodes [are often] so smooth they appear to have been polished," and gives an altitudinal range of 850-1750 m. Although the morphological differences between var. glabra and var. compacta are not great, the combination of distinctive morphology correlated with a distinctive habitat and a disjunct range seem to warrant recognition at the varietal level.
Synonymy: = Terrell (1959); = Houstonia longifolia Gaertn. – Terrell (1996); < Houstonia longifolia Gaertn. – K1, K3, K4, RAB, S, W
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