Texas Almanac, 1978-1979 Page: 94
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WILDFLOWERS OF TEXAS
Wildflowers grow profusely in Texas; more than
5,000 varieties are natives of the state. This description
of some of the principal wildflowers of Texas is con-
densed from material which first appeared in the
Texas Almanac in 1936 and was written by two recog-
nized authorities, Dr. Eula Whitehouse and Mrs. Mary
Daggett Lake.
BLUE ROWERS
Spring.
ANEMONE-Windflower, Wood Violet (Anemone
carollniana); Crowfoot family; one of the earliest
spring flowers; East Texas woods, perennial; flowers
deep blue, open in the sun and close at eventime; leg-
end says the anemone originated from the tears drop-
ped by Venus; anemone decapetala on limestone has
pale flowers.
BAPTISIA-Bush Pea, False Indigo (Baptisia aus-
tralis); Pea family; a perennial of North Texas not
very abundant; a bushy plant with large clusters of
deep blue pea-shaped flowers. A species with creamy-
yellow flowers (Baptisia leucophaea), called hen-and-
chicken pea, is widespread in East Texas; the flower
clusters hang down below the bushy branches. Bapti-
sia sphaerocarpa has erect clusters of bright yellow
flowers.
BEARD-TONGUE, PRAIRIE---Fendler's
Pentstemon (Pentstemon fendleri); Figwort family;
perennial; plains of West Texas; blue flowers about
one inch long in dense spikes; many beard-tongues of
other colors found in the state.
BLUEBONNET-Buffalo Clover, Wolf Flower, "El
Conejo" (Lupinus texensis); Pea family; annual, on
gravelly limestone hillsides from North Central Texas
to Mexico; erect clusters of blue, bonnet-shaped
flowers each splotched with white or red on the upper
petal. The bluebonnet was officially declared the Texas
State Flower on March 7, 1901; many legends connected
with the plant. Lupinus subcarnosus considered the
same as Lupinus texensis when the bluebonnet was
adopted as the State flower, is a closely related blue-
bonnet of Central Texas.
BLUE-EYED GRASS-(Sisyrinchium pruinosum);
Iris family perennial; dry rocky hillsides, roadsides
and meadows of Central Texas; tufts of flattened,
grass-like stems and leaves; 6-parted, dainty, violet or
deep blue flowers showing gay yellow centers; flowers
closing at night, with a new crop of blossoms each
morning. Dwarf blue-eyed grass (S minus), found in
moist, sandy soil; has small, reddish-purple flowers.
BLUE FLAX-(Linum pretense); Flax family;
annual; distribution widespread, in limestone regions
and on rocky hillsides; wand-like swaying, slender
stems bearing dainty blue ' ossoms; petals soon fall-
ing, marked with purplish lines at base; similar to
commercial plant Linum usitatissimum, which fur-
nishes our linen and from whose seeds we get linseed
oil. Many yellow flaxes are common throughout the
state; Linum rigidum var. berlanderi is a large-flower-
ed prairie plant, and L. rupestre grows on gravelly
hillsides.
BLUE GILIA-(Golden Eye Gillia rlgidula); Phlox
family; perennial, rocky hillsides of western part; slen-
der branched plants with blue flowers about an inch
broad. False Flax (Gllia incisa) has pale blue flowers
and grows in rich, shady soil.
BLUE TEXAS STAR-Texas Dogbane (Amsonia
texana); Dogbane family; perennial, on well-drained
chalky hills; leafy, erect stems bearing flat-topped
clusters of star-shaped, pale blue flowers. Amsonia
amsonia is to be found in the moist lands of East
Texas, and the white-flowered Amsonia longiflora
grows in the western part of the state.
BLUET-Forget-me-not. Baby's Breath, Inno-
cence (Hedyotis crassifolia); Madder family; low
annual, dotting golf courses and sandy, moist mead-
ows in early spring; flowers four-lobed, purplish-blue.
CELESTIAL-(Nemastyls geminiflora); iris fami-
ly; bulbous perennial found on prairies of North Texas;
leaves long and grass-like but plaited in several folds;
six-parted flowers a heavenly blue, white at base,
opening about noon and lasting only a few hours.
DAYFLOWER-Widow's Tears (Commellna an-
gustlfolia); Dayflower family; widespread; flowers
with two large bright blue petals and a third which Is
small, pale and inconspicuous; flowers open in the
morning and last only a few hours. C. crspa is abun-
94dent in the northern and western parts.
HAREBELL--Bluebell (Campanula reverchonil);
Bell-flower family; on granite rocks in Southwest
Texas; slender plants bearing dainty blue bell-shaped
flowers; related to bluebell of Scotland, Canterbury
bells and Chinese balloon-flower.
HYACINTH, WILD-(Androstephium caeruleum);
Lily family; perennial; dry, rocky hills and prairies;
short plant bearing bluish-lavender blossoms; root bul-
bous. Meadow Hyacinth, also called False Hyacinth,
Indigo Squill and Quamasia, from the Indian name
Quamash, has very fragrant flowers clustered in
spikes. Its edible bulb was a favorite food of Indians
and pioneers.
LARKSPUR-Delphinium, Rabbit Faces, "Espue-
la del caballero" (Delphinium carolinianum); Crow-
foot family; perennial; in woods and sandy soil of East
Texas; irregular, spurred flowers, the outer parts of
which are bright blue and the smaller, Inner parts are
purple; stalk growing from a cluster of deeply cut and
toothed leaves near the tuberous root. Prairie Lark-
spur (D. virescens) has white flowers tinted with pur-
ple. It is considered poisonous.
LOBELIA-(Lobella berlandleri var. brachypo-
da); Lobelia family; on sandy prairies in South Texas;
spike-like clusters of blue two-lipped flowers; marked
with yellow on the lower lip. Some of the lobellas have
a milky sap containing a poisonous alkaloid used in
medicine.
PSORALEA-Scurvy Pea (Psoralea cuspidata);
Pea family; on northwestern prairies; leaves and
flowers very much like the bluebonnet. Indian Bread-
root, Prairie Potato, Prairie Turnip, "Pomme
Blanche," "Pomme de-prairie" (Psoralea latestipula-
ta); perennial; dry lands of the South and West plant
almost stemless; flowers narrow, pea-shaped, laven-
der, edible root used by Indians and pioneers. Wild
Alfalfa (Psoralea tenulflora) resembles the cultivated
alfalfa; a member of another group of the pea family.
SALVIA-Blue Sage, Prairie Sage, Blue Bottle-
flower (Salvia azarea var. grandiflora); Mint family;
common in moist grounds on the prairies; square-
stemmed plants bearing long spikes of two-lipped blue
flowers, blooming from late spring to fall; leaves with
a sage odor. Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea) has flowers
varying from purple to blue and white, calyx clothed
with violet hairs; grown in Eastern nurseries as a bor-
der plant.
Summer.
BLUEBELL-Blue Marsh Lily, Texas Bluebell,
Blue or Purple Gentian (Eustoma russellianum); Gen-
tian family; common in swampy places, margins of
creeks and low grounds in prairie regions; annuals
with entire opposite leaves; plants erect, one to two
feet tall. One of the best and most popular of the com-
mercial cut flowers.
NAMA--BIue Waterleaf (Hydrolea ovata); Water-
leaf family; a spiny, aquatic plant of East Texas; sky-
blue flowers about an inch broad.
WATER LILY-(Nymphaea elegans); Water lily
family; in waters along the coast; floating leaves, pur-
ple. below, seven inches broad; flowers purplish-blue
or lilac, three to six inches broad.
Fall.
AGERATUM-Mist Flower. Floss Flower (Eupa-
torium coelestinum); Composite family; perennial,
general distribution in moist soils and on creek banks;
fiat topped clusters of small heads of azure-blue
flowers; often cultivated for a border plant.
Shrubs.
TEXAS MOUNTAIN LAUREL-Big-drunk Bean,
Mescal Bean, Frijolillo (Sophora secundiflora); Pea
family; limestone hills of Central and Southwest
Texas; a popular shrub, with large clusters of bonnet-
shaped blossoms, varying from deep blue to lavender;
fruit very decorative, the big, woody pods containing
bright red, hard seeds which the Indians used as
beads; intoxicating beverage from the ground beans
used by the Indians.
Vines.
BLUE MORNING GLORY-( lpomoea hederacea);
Morning Glory family; scattered and not very abun-
dant, the purple-flowered morning glories being more
common; the floral emblem for September; related to
the common sweet potato; many legends.
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Texas Almanac, 1978-1979, book, 1978~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113814/m1/98/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.