[Illustration: Leucophyllum frutescens]
Common names: CENIZA, SENISA, ASHPLANT, WILD-LILAC
Texas desert: (_Leucophyllum frutescens_). Lilac-violet.
August-October. (Leucophyllum texanum). Violet-purple.
August-October.
Figwort family. Size: Bushy shrub, 3 to 4 feet high.
In southern Texas, thick patches of this shrub are sometimes found,
although they commonly occur singly or a few together, usually on
limestone soils. Since the leaves are a light gray-green, plants appear
to be ashy in color, giving rise to the name “Ceniza,” meaning “ashy.”
Spectacular in Big Bend National Park.
So sensitive is this plant to moisture, that it may burst into blossom
within a few hours after a soaking rain, this phenomenon giving rise to
the local belief that the plant actually blossoms before the rain,
thereby forecasting precipitation; hence the name “Barometerbush.”
During recent years, Ceniza has become one of the popular native shrubs
used in landscaping.
Under normal conditions, plants blossom in September.