Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures by color ( Red ), 1 by htop

htop wrote:
Devil's Bouquet, Devil's-Bouquet, Devil's Boutonniere, Scarlet Muskflower, Scarlet Musk-Flower (Nyctaginia capitata), Nyctaginaceae Family, Texas native, blooms from March or April through November, listed as a perennial in most references (some online references state that it is an annual), deciduous

Devil's bouquet, scarlet musk-flower (Nyctaginia capitata) is the only species in the Nyctaginia genus. It is an upright to sprawling, tuberous rooted (parsley-like) perennial that attains a height of between 6 and 18 inches. It is a native to New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León). In Texas, it can be found in loamy, sandy or calcareous soils of the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains regions in full to partial sun. It is usually observed growing on arid grasslands, old fields, upland woodlands, shrub-lands, rocky slopes and roadsides. Devil’s bouquet prefers dry soil, but also prospers in soils that are medium moist. Hummingbirds are attracted to the blooms which appear in large clusters and are quite showy and impossible to miss. I screeched my car to a halt when I spotted them as I drove by a construction site. Devil's bouquet would make a great rock garden, xeriscae, wildscape or cultivated garden plant (even though the fragarnce of the blooms might offend some people; it didn't bother me at all).

For more photos and information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/108253/index.html

The gorgeous blooms ...

This message was edited Aug 25, 2005 1:31 PM