[Illustration: PURPLE PAINT-BRUSH CENIZO]
Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled; sepals, 4-5; corolla tubular,
4-5-lobed, 2-lipped; stamens often 4, in pairs on corolla-tube, sterile
stamen often present; ovary 2-celled, superior.
Purple Paint-Brush (_Castilleja purpurea_) grows on limestone slopes and
rocky prairies in North-central Texas. The low stems grow from a woody
perennial root. The flowers and floral leaves are both conspicuously
colored, varying from rose to purple. The divided leaves are a lovely
ashy-gray.
Leucophyllum. White Leaf. Cenizo (_Leucophyllum texanum_) covers
hillsides in the southern and southwestern parts of the state. The low
bushes seldom grow more than three or four feet high. It is a startling
and lovely sight to see a hillside which was a mass of gray transformed
overnight into a delicate hue of lavender. This happens shortly after
heavy rains, and for this reason the plant is sometimes called barometer
bush. Leucophyllum has been widely introduced as a shrub in Texas
gardens, where the ashy-gray leaves are quite effective against dark
green shrubbery. The name is Greek and means “white leaf.”
[Illustration: SCARLET PAINT-BRUSH]
Scarlet Paint-Brush (_Castilleja indivisa_) is also called Indian
paint-brush, painted-cup, entire-leaved paint brush, and Indian pink.
One of the most inspiring landscape displays of native flowers is formed
by the scarlet paint-brush. It is found in sandy soil from the
northeastern to southwestern parts of the state and blooms from March to
May but is at its best in April. The paint-brush display of red is
equalled or excelled only by that of two other wild-flower favorites—the
red Drummond’s phlox in south-central sandy regions and the beautiful
gaillardia of black land prairies.
The intense scarlet-red is due to the coloring of the broadened floral
leaves (bracts) at the tip of the stem. These bracts almost hide the
inconspicuous cream-colored flowers which are about an inch long. The
bracts are oblong, the tips being broader than the base and deeply
stained with scarlet.
The scarlet paint-brush is an annual plant, commonly six to twelve
inches high, and is sometimes branched at the base. The leaves are
rough-nerved and wavy-margined. Occasionally the leaves have two linear
basal lobes somewhat like those of the eastern or swamp scarlet
paint-brush (_Castilleja coccinea_), which has similar flower clusters
but grows in swampy places.
The castillejas are mostly Western American plants, some being parasitic
on the roots of other plants. They are named in honor of D. Castillejo,
a Spanish botanist. In addition to the scarlet and purple paint-brushes,
several other castillejas are found in the state. Lindheimer’s
paint-brush (_Castilleja lindheimeri_) is very much like the purple
paint-brush, but it has red or orange bracts. It is a perennial plant
which grows on limestone hillsides of Southwest-central Texas. The
woolly-stemmed paint-brush (_Castilleja lanata_) has woolly-gray stems
and leaves and red flower clusters. It may be noticed in chaparral
thickets and canyons in West Texas.
[Illustration: TEXAS TOAD-FLAX SMALL-FLOWERED BEARD-TONGUE]
Small-Flowered Pentstemonor or Beard-Tongue (_Pentstemon laxiflorus_)
grows in the sandy soil of post oak woods in Central and East Texas. The
slender stems are 1-2 ft. high and are topped by slender-stalked flower
clusters. The corollas are a pale lavender, about an inch long. This is
a very common plant in the state and has been given various names by
botanists, the latest one being _laxiflorus_. It is a close relative,
probably a variety, of the slender beard-tongue (_Pentstemon gracilis_)
of moist prairies from Minnesota to Oklahoma.
Texas Toad-Flax (_Linaria texana_) has pale blue flowers similar to
those of the Canada toad-flax. The corollas have a slender spur about
half an inch long. The slender stems are 1-2 feet high, growing from a
cluster of basal leaves which are finely divided into somewhat rounded
segments. It is widespread in sandy soil from Florida to California and
blooms early in the spring.
Many other figworts are found in the state. The nearest relative to the
garden snapdragon is the climbing snapdragon (_Maurandia
antirrhiniflora_). Mullein is widespread in the state. The common
monkey-flower is _Mimulus glabratus_.
[Illustration: LARGE-FLOWERED BEARD-TONGUE]
Large-Flowered Beard-Tongue or Pentstemon (_Pentstemon cobaea_) is also
known as false foxglove, dew flowers, fairy thimbles, wild belladonna,
and balmony. It was called “balmony” by early settlers, who made a tea
from the leaves to be used as a laxative. Several erect stems from
perennial roots grow on the rocky slopes of prairies from Texas to
Missouri and Kansas. It blooms in Texas in April and May.
The flowering spikes of bell-shaped flowers are large and showy. The
corollas are usually pale, tinged with reddish-purple and marked with
darker lines. The fifth stamen is sparingly bearded. The stems are 1-1½
feet high, and the flowers are 1½-2 inches long. The leaves are broad
and partly clasping at the base, the margins usually indented with sharp
teeth. It is thought that the common garden pentstemon is a hybrid
derived from this beard-tongue and Hartwig’s pentstemon, a Mexican
plant.
[Illustration: SCARLET PENTSTEMON]
Scarlet Pentstemon or Beard-Tongue. Murray’s Pentstemon (_Pentstemon
murrayanus_) is a very lovely plant growing in sandy soil in post oak
woods of Central and East Texas and Arkansas. The plants are three feet
high, the reddish stems having a few opposite, clasping leaves, those on
the upper part being united and cup-shaped. The foliage is very smooth
and has a somewhat downy covering.
The flowering upper portion of the stem is often over a foot long and
bears a profusion of tubular scarlet flowers about an inch long. The
stamens extend beyond the corolla, and the fifth stamen is not bearded.
The long slender style remains on the capsule long after the corollas
have fallen away. The flowers usually bloom the latter part of March in
South Texas and the middle of April in North Texas. The plants are quite
hardy and may be successfully transplanted or grown from seeds, but
should be planted in sandy soil.
“Pentstemon” is Greek meaning “five stamens.” Nearly all members of the
figwort family have only four stamens, but the pentstemons have five;
however, the fifth stamen does not bear a pollen-sac and is often
bearded. “Beard-tongue” refers to this bearded stamen. There are nearly
a hundred and fifty species of pentstemons, about thirty of them being
found in Texas. With the exception of one found in Southeastern Asia,
they are all North American plants.
Murray’s pentstemon is quite similar to two red-flowered pentstemons of
the mountains of West Texas. These two are likewise tall, vigorous
plants and have showy clusters of flowers. Torrey’s pentstemon
(_Pentstemon barbatus torreyi_) has narrow pointed leaves, and the
superb pentstemon (_Pentstemon superbus_) has broad oblong leaves. The
common blue-flowered pentstemon in West Texas is _Pentstemon fendleri_,
with leaves nearly as broad as long.