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

htop wrote:
Venus' Looking-glass, Clasping Venus' Looking-glass, Round-leaved Venus' Looking-glass (Triodanis perfoliata), Campanulaceae Family, annual, blooms from March through July

Note: Although the blooms on the plants I observed were more of a purplish color than blue-violet, I am posting this plant ih the blue thread because the blooms may be either color and one can compare this species to the one that is posted above.

Round-leaved Venus' looking-glass can be found growing in old fields, prairies and pastures, on cliffs, at the edges of woodlands and along roadsides. It pops up in soil that has been disturbed and prefers sandy soils. However, the ones I observed are growing in limestoney soil. It grows natively in all regions of Texas. It is an erect, up to 30 inches tall plant that is usually unbranched. The ones I observed had one soliatry stem; however, it may branch from the base (multiple stems).

The fused 5-petalled,1/3" to 1/2" wide blooms open widely and have a white center with a protruding, white style. Each is subtended by small, cupped leaf. Like Triodanis coloradoensis, it has two types of blooms: the showy upper flowers which appear later in the plant's growth are open at pollination and the lower flowers which appear first are small, closed and self-pollinating.The alternate, up to 1" leaves are rounded, clasp the stem and are palmately veined. They are deeply notched at the base and have shallowly toothed (rounded) edges. The fruit is an oblong capsule. When mature, a part of the capsule rolls upward which exposes a slit (pore) in the capsule which facilitates the release of the seed. The pore is broadly elliptical to rounded which distinguishes it from T. holzinger which has capsules that have linear pores.

Distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefip...

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55426/index.html

Blooms may be blue-violet to purple - these were purplish and the spent blooms were blue to blue-violet.