Texas Native Plant Pictures by color ( Pink )

Golden-Eye Phlox, Roemer Phlox (Phlox roemeriana)

A closeup of a bloom about to open ...

Golden-Eye Phlox, Roemer Phlox (Phlox roemeriana)

A view of the leaves which are usually hidden by the foliage of other plants when the phlox is blooming (unless, of course, it does not have other plants by it) ...

Small Flower Gaura, Lizardtail (Lizard Tail, Gaura, Velvetleaf Gaura, Velvetweed, Downy Gaura, (Gaura mollis), Onagraceae Family, Texas native, annual, blooms April through October (sometimes November)

Lizardtail Gaura has erect stems and usually attains a height of between 4-6 feet (usually shorter than 6 feet); however, it can grow up to 9 feet tall. It natively grows on dry, disturbed sites, roadsides, rocky prairie hillsides, waste areas and in open woods. The hairy (velvety) leaves are entire, very green, lanceolate to oblanceolate and up to 8 inches long. They have an ivory colored midvein. The stems have longer and thicker hairs on them than the leaves do. The tiny pink blooms are about 1/4 inch wide with the petals being about 1/8" long. The blooms open at night or before dawn and really show up backlit by early morning or late afternoon sunlight. The flower tubes (hypanthiums) are red. Apex flower stalks (flower spikes) are about1 2" long and have small, tightly packed buds. The blloom stalks are bent or nodding; hence, the common name "lizardtail gaura". The 4-sided fruits are about 1/4" long and they taper to both ends. Some Native American Tribes used the roots to treat snakebites.

Texas Native distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=GAMO5

For more information and lots more photos, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/78310/index.html

Blooms closup ...

Small Flower Gaura, Lizardtail (Lizard Tail, Gaura, Velvetleaf Gaura, Velvetweed, Downy Gaura, (Gaura mollis)

"Lizardtail" bloom stalk ...

Small Flower Gaura, Lizardtail (Lizard Tail, Gaura, Velvetleaf Gaura, Velvetweed, Downy Gaura, (Gaura mollis)

Another view ...

Small Flower Gaura, Lizardtail (Lizard Tail, Gaura, Velvetleaf Gaura, Velvetweed, Downy Gaura, (Gaura mollis)

As seen farther back ...

Wild Garlic, Drummond's Onion, Drummond Wild Onion, Prairie Onion (Allium drummondii), Alliaceae Family, Texas native, perennial, bulb, blooms March through May

This is the most widely distributed wild onion species in Texas growing natively in various soils and vegetative areas. The 3/4 inch wide blooms have tepals not petals, appear on a slender flower stem, are clustered in an umbel and may be a variety of hues from white to pale pink to dark rose. They produce shiny black seeds. An asexual form produces tiny bulbets at the tips of the flower stalks. This species may be distinguished from Allium canadense by examining the underground bulbs. The outer covering of Allium drummondii bulbs are papery; wheras, Allium canadense bulbs have a criss-cross fiber-type coating surrounding them. Both smell oniony and both types of bulbs are edible. Just do not confuse them with crow-poison, false garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve) which neither smells like garlic nor onion and is poisonous.

Caution: Crow-poison shown at the link below is poisonous:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55467/index.html

Drummond wild onion Texas county distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=ALDR

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55460/index.html

Very closeup view of blooms in different stages of maturity with small critters visiting them ...

Texas Bluebonnet, ( Lupinus texensis ) Legume family, ( Fabaceae ) Annual, native plant endemic to Texas, bloom period, March---May.The state flower of Texas.

For the first time in my life (60 years), I have seen pink bluebonnets growing in a native environment. I found 2 plants today in a field in Northwest San Antonio. These are very rarely found occurring naturally. According to Texas A&M University, "In the wild it occurs only once in every ten million bluebonnets. And the chance of finding a pink bluebonnet, well it’s one in a hundred million." I hit the jackpot finding 2 plants. :o) There is an 'Abbott Pink' cultivar that has been developed through selective breeding.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/754/index.html

A bloom cluster of a pink blooming specimen (observed in northwest Bexar County, Texas):

Texas Bluebonnet, ( Lupinus texensis )

A closer view:

Texas Bluebonnet, ( Lupinus texensis )

The second specimen I found of the rarely see (in the wild) pink blooming bluebonnet. (observed in northwest Bexar County, Texas):


This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 4:31 AM

Texas Bluebonnet, ( Lupinus texensis )

"The Legend of the Pink Bluebonnet" by Greg Grant can be found at the link below:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/flowers/bluebonnet/pinkbluebonnet.html

Warning: Do not read the next paragraph if religion offends you. We are all entitled to our own beliefs. This post will probably be pulled and I am expecting my first "warning".

If you read the legend, you discovered/will discover that the legend states that the pink bluebonnet symbolizes the struggle to survive. Finding these 2 rare specimens has much meaning for me. My Mother and my husband's ex-mother-in-law were called by their Father to join Him recently within 2 weeks of each other. They both struggled to survive ... I would like to think these 2 specimens were meant for me to find during my time of grief as a symbol that they experienced joyous release from their physical bodies and the struggles that they were experiencing. As I found these beautiful plants, I realized what gifts I had been given. The pain of my 2 losses lessened as I realized that they indeed had been given the promised gift and they no longer need to struggle to survive. I should be rejoicing for them.

The second specimen of the rare pink bluebonnet next to a "regular" bluebonnet as seen from the top. I noticed how the open blooms touch each other appearing to form a circle. The bloom petioles radiate out making the blooms look like a wagon wheel. Unfortunately, the wind was so strong, I could not capture a "perfect" view of this. The pink bloom clusters seems to be a bit more compact than the blue bloom cluster.


This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 11:46 PM

Hazel, your post is beautiful and I am so glad that you found such rare plants and they helped you to make sense of your loss and gave you peace and joy.
If they delete your post, we will have to have a big protest, but I don't think they will do it.
Josephine.

I read the Legend Hazel, very neat, it must have been a terrible time they went through, but hope springs eternal.

Foxglove, Fairy Thimbles, Dewflower, Wild Belladonna, Beardtongue, Showy Beardtongue, Balmony (Penstemon cobaea), Scrophulariaceae Family, native, short lived herbaceous perennial, blooms April through June

Foxglove is found on dry open prairies and eroded pastures and hillsides, slopes, bluffs and edges of creeks on chalk loam, limestone loam, gypsum loam or sandy loam soils. It is an upright, hairy perennial that has a thick, tuberous root. This root assists with its surviving scorching dry summers. In the summer, it whithers down and appears to be dead. In late winter, a thick, compact clump of leaves and a tall stem laden with buds emerges. It produces very large, 2" long, tubular white to violet to deep purple flowers (largest blooms of any native penstemon).and is pollinated by large bees which need to crawl inside the corolla tube. That is why the filaments of the four stamens are curved and rigid in order to prevent the corolla tube from collapsing. The long style sticks out past the lip of the corolla. This penstemon attracts a variety of moths and nectar insects, hummingbirds and butterflies. It is a larval host for the dotted checkerspot butterfly. Collect seed in summer when capsules are brown and seeds are black. Germination is best with cold-moist stratification. It may be propagted from herbaceous stem cuttings also. Foxglove is suitable for rock gardens, native plant gardens, wildscapes and other cultivated areas. Root rot can occur in wet, poorly-drained soils.

Distribution:
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/vpt_map_name?reg=2,3,4,5,6,7,8&name=%3Ci%3EPenstemon+cobaea%3C/i%3E+Nutt.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/65167/index.html

Plants swaying in a brisk April breeze; the blooms are large and highly visible:


This message was edited Apr 17, 2007 1:21 PM

Foxglove, Fairy Thimbles, Dewflower, Wild Belladonna, Beardtongue, Showy Beardtongue, Balmony(Penstemon cobaea)

Plant as seen highlighted with late afternoon sunlight ... note the orange flags in the far background that mark this road for expansion; all the lovely native plants will be destroyed. I am trying to save them in photos. I did dig up 5 plants to put in my landscape. Digging them up without damaging their roots was difficult in the limestone laden soil.

Foxglove, Fairy Thimbles, Dewflower, Wild Belladonna, Beardtongue, Showy Beardtongue, Balmony(Penstemon cobaea)

A bloom cluster with bloom buds and 2 blooms just about to open; notice that the structures are highly pubescent:

Foxglove, Fairy Thimbles, Dewflower, Wild Belladonna, Beardtongue, Showy Beardtongue, Balmony(Penstemon cobaea)

A bloom which is large and is pollinated by large bees which need to crawl inside the corolla tube. That is why the filaments of the four stamens are curved and rigid in order to prevent the corolla tube from collapsing. The long style sticks out past the lip of the corolla.

Foxglove, Fairy Thimbles, Dewflower, Wild Belladonna, Beardtongue, Showy Beardtongue, Balmony(Penstemon cobaea)

The leaves are glabrous, serrate, shiny dark green above and dull shiny green below.

Texas Bluebonnet, ( Lupinus texensis )

The pink bluebonnets are producing seeds ... the mowers were there today, oh no!

Is there a State law that says "If any flower appears in any ditch, it must be mowed at once"?
We just had a large patch of Wine Cups near our mailbox that got to bloom for two days.
They mowed down to bare earth yesterday.

Rats!!! They are terrible, those mowing guys wouldn't know a flower from a snake.
They mowed some shrubs at the wildscape that we had been nurturing for a long time.
Good to hear from you Trois.
Josephine.

We even put up signs requesting no mowing until July. They mowed the signs also.
We tried talking to them, they don't speak English.

trois

How sad Trois, you would think that at least there would be someone with them who does speak English, it is a shame.
Josephine.

Sunshine Mimosa, Powderpuff, Herbaceous Sensitive Plant, Verguenza, Herbaceous Mimosa(Mimosa strigillosa), Mimosaceae Family, native, perennial, blooms from early spring through early fall

Usually growing 3 to 4 inches tall (can grow taller), this plant is a legume that fixes nitrogen in addition to functioning as a fast growing, mat-forming, evergreen groundcover and can even be substituted for lawn grass. I It spreads by rhizomes, can be mowed, usually has soft bristles (but no spines) and tolerates foot traffic. It grows in sun and light shade and adapts to a wide range of soil acidity levels as well as moisture levels.

Performing best in loamy or sandy soils, it can adapt to about any type of soil. It has excellent salt and drought tolerance and is a great xeriscape plant. Its tiny, fern-like leaves fold back when touched or when there is a strong vibration near them. Showy, globe-shaped (sometimes a little oblongish instead of a ball), reddish-pink to lavender-rose colored, 1 inch wide blooms are held straight up above the foliage.

In its natural habitats, it can be found in open areas in sandy woodlands, along stream or lake banks, mixed in with brush and along roadsides. It serves as a larval food source for the Little Sulphur, White-striped Longtail Skipper, Mimosa Yellow and Reakirt's Blue butterfly caterpillars. The foliage is browsed by white-tailed deer and cattle.

Note: I want to emphasize that this plant does not have thorns (has soft prickles) so do not confuse it with a young sensitive briar (Mimosa malacophylla) plant. You don't want to plant senstive briar in places you want to walk through. Ouch!

Distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=MIST2

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1873/index.html

Was on the ground for this photo ...

Sunshine Mimosa, Powderpuff, Herbaceous Sensitive Plant, Verguenza, Herbaceous Mimosa(Mimosa strigillosa)

Blooms had been been rained upon so the filaments were squashed down a bit instead poking out in all directions in their usual starburst shape. Because of this, you are able to see into the bloom's center very well. The leaves have folded up because I touched the stem to better position the bloom.

Drummond's Gaura (Gaura drummondii), Onagraceae Family, native, perennial, blooms April through October

Drummond's Gaura (Gaura drummondii) is also known as sweet gaura and scented gaura. It spreads by rhizomes and is 8" to 36" tall by 2 feet wide. Sweet gaura is multi-branched at the base and its one to three inches long leaves are narrow (up to 7/8 inch wide) and lanceolate to elliptic in shape. Its stem typically has hairs, but not always. Its 6-10 mm long flower petals are white and fade to pink or reddish-pink. It blooms in the late afternoon or evening and the blooms stay open through the next morning. It is pollinated by small moths and butterflies. It has erect, reddish-brown, 7-13 mm long, 4-sided (4-ridged, furrowed between the ridges), nut-like fruit that do not open to release seeds. They are ovoid in shape. The fruit contains 2 to 8 seeds. The seeds must be surface sown. It genarally is not considered a serious noxious weed.

Distribution:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=GADR

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/32108/index.html

The blooms usually open white or very pale pink and fade to a darker color. These blooms have closed.

Drummond's Gaura (Gaura drummondii)

It is also known as Drummond's Beeblossom, Sweet Gaura, Scented Gaura.

The blooms open in the late afternoon or early evening and stay open through the next morning.

I took this on July 4th along the side of the road in Johnson County. Can someone ID it here?

Here is a closer shot. Couldn't get real close because of a ditch between us.

Sheila, I think what you have is Mountain Pink, Centaurium beyrichii
Check this link and see.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CEBE
Josephine.

Yes that is the one, thanks Josephine!

I think it is gorgeous, I have never been lucky enough to see it in the wild, maybe some day!!!

There was quite a few clumps on the roadside. Very eye catching site, just had to stop and take a picture.

Sheila, that is just sooo neat!!! thank you for the pictures.

First time the Medow Pink has been in my yard. All this heavy rain must of triggered it to bloom

Maybe our excessive rain causes them to bloom so much here. They have been blooming since March.

Congratulations Ted and Trois, Meadow pinks are so pretty.

saw a bunch of mountain pinks on the back roads from austin to marble falls. So pretty... I don't remember seeing those before... I just love them...

Maybe this rainy year was good for them. Hopefully they will reseed more this year.

Some pinks are all over my back driveway. They seem to like the loose gravel.