Stillingia Species, Queen’s Delight, Texas Toothleaf

Grows natively on our property. Suitable for xeriscaping. Looks great in a garden with cacti. Adds a nice variation given it's unusual ...Read Moreappearance (ours have almost a primative look). The plant is extremely drought tolerant, but if you have a scheduled watering system for your xeriscaped gardens it's foilage does become more dense and lush. It is deciduous here, and non-invasive.

I have Queen's Delight growing on my two-acre place. It's quite drought-hardy and requires no care, growing in my caliche and rock hillsi...Read Morede area with no problems. The foliage is attractive and the blooms, while not very showy, are nice to see every year. It's a host plant for a small moth (Doa ampla) and I've had the yellow and black caterpillars on my plants often.

Texas toothleaf is native to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It is very drought tolerant due to its deep woody taproot, prefers dry soil...Read More and can be found in open areas in fields and on hillsides. In Texas, it grows mainly in the calcareous soils of the Rio Grande Plains and the Edwards Plateau, but can be found throughout the state.

Texas toothleaf has an erect habit with multiple stems and its alternate, serrated, glossy, thin, linear leaves are quite attractive. Its yellowish-green blooms appear on spikes and are not showy. The leaves are clumped under the blooms. The male and female blooms are found on the same spike with the male bloom being above and female bloom below. It produces a milky sap that may cause skin blisters. It has been used to cure ringworm.

Two of the Stillingia species are similar having alternate, long, narrow leaves with serrated edges and a gland in the notch of each serration. The genus derives its name from Mr. Stillingfleet, an English naturalist who lived in the 1700s.

These plants are reported to contain cyanogenic glycosides which release free cyanide in the rumen (the first four stomach compartments in ruminant animals such as cattle and deerwhere food is collected and returned to the mouth as cud for chewing). The plants usually are not consumed by livestock due to having a very low palatability. However, in severe drought the plants are sometimes foraged. Only one species, Stillingia treculiana (trecul stillingia), is a significant threat and has poisoned sheep during drought conditions.