Just found this growing in the back wild creek area of my lot. Guessing it's in the foxglove family, but I can't seem to identify it.
Name that plant...
The plant is kind of falling over but would be about 18" tall. The flower is about the size of a dime. Here is some foliage and a bud.
This message was edited Sep 30, 2006 1:31 PM
It looks like Purple Gerardia see if you agree, I had one of those show up in my garden this year.
http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Symbol=AGPU5
Yes, it does. Thank you Josephine! It was a neat surprise to find this today.
Looking at pictures and stuff, I wonder if it's Agalinis heterophylla instead though. http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/oro/agalinis_heterophylla.htm
A. Purpurea is said to grow in moist sandy & Acid soils. These are growing very dry cracked clay soil.
Here is the distribution for each...
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=AGPU5
http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Texas&statefips=48&symbol=AGHE4
Neither is said to grow in my county, but A. heterophylla grows in the county 15 miles north. A. Purpurea grows about 100 miles away.
It could probably still be either though.
What you said makes perfct sense, them main difference I see between the two is the leaves,
Agalinis heterophyla's leaves are almost non existant. That might be the best clue.
Good detective work! Those were nice links.
Josephine.
Interesting coincidence here! Last weekend I found three of these plants - think it was the purple gerardia thanks to Josephine's pics and entries in plant files and the pink flowers thread. The sad part is that they were in an area being cleared for a new subdivision. I went back with my trowel and dug up the two smallest ones and don't think the larger one is going to make it - I potted it. I put the small one in my front flower bed with some shade. I left the largest of the three there hoping it would go to seed and blow to the winds before they completely clear that area. It was so sad to see all those trees and plants toppled. I'm going to get my stiff upper lip on tomorrow morning and go see if I can save any other little plants. sniff....
Thanks Josephine and Sweezel for your posts.
Nancy
It is sad that so many plants are being destroyed. We have rescued many plants from empty lots, but they sure are hard to transplant.
Still we have a few that we acquired that way, so I think it is very worthwhile.
Good luck with your rescue.
Josephine.
I'm glad to hear you have a few that made it through rescue. I'm "going in" tomorrow and hope to come back with at least a few. There are beautyberries, smallish trees, and other little blooming things I could bring out by myself and I hope a few will make it. I didn't realize how fast the clearing would happen or I would've tried with a few more things last weekend. Thanks for your encouragement! If I get anything that survives, I'll bring them to the Central Texas RU to share.
Nancy