[Illustration: BALDWIN’S IRONWEED]
Flowers crowded into heads surrounded by bracts; outer flowers often
strap-shaped and are called ray flowers; inner flowers are tubular and
are called disk flowers; sometimes flowers are all of one type; calyx
usually modified into bristles or awns (pappus); petals united, tubular,
4-5-lobed; stamens 5, anthers united into a tube; styles 2-lobed; ovary
1-celled, inferior. (See p. xii.)
Baldwin’s Ironweed (_Vernonia baldwinii_) has broad, flat-topped
clusters of purple heads. It forms a pleasing contrast to the abundant
yellow flowers of the summer months. The plant is a hardy perennial and
grows in ditches and river bottoms from Central Texas to Iowa. The stems
are 3-4 feet high and conspicuously leafy. The ironweeds get their
common name from the fact that the stems are very hard and difficult for
farmers to chop down.
About one-fifth of the plants found in Texas belong to the composite
family. It is generally divided into groups or tribes, the more
important being the ironweed, mist-flower, aster, everlasting,
sunflower, bitterweed, dog-fennel, and thistle groups. The composites in
this book are grouped together in tribes in the above order, but the
tribes are not separated or differentiated. Identification of composites
is much easier if the resemblance to a particular group can be noted.
[Illustration: BLUE MIST-FLOWER BLUFF THOROUGHWORT]
Bluff Thoroughwort (_Eupatorium ageratifolium_) is a widely branched
shrub of the rocky hillsides of Central and West Texas. The bushes are
covered with flat-topped clusters of pale-pink or white flowers. The
long, protruding styles, which are divided into two recurved parts, have
given the name of mist-flower to this and other plants of the group.
Milk-sick plant (_Eupatorium ageratoides_) is a closely related plant
which causes in cattle a disease called “trembles.” The milk from
affected cows will cause sickness and death among humans. The
late-flowering thoroughwort (_Eupatorium serotinum_) is very abundant in
river bottoms throughout the state. Yankee-weed (_Eupatorium
compositifolium_) grows in big feathery clumps often 10 feet high. It is
a pernicious weed in East Texas and soon covers cut-over pine lands. The
dried flower-tops of several species were used by pioneers as fever
medicines. One of these plants was called Joe-pye weed in honor of the
Indian doctor, Joe Pye.
Blue Mist-Flower (_Conoclinium coelestinum_) is sometimes called
ageratum and is used for a summer and fall border plant. It grows in
moist, shaded places from Central Texas to New Jersey.
[Illustration: PRAIRIE BLAZING STAR DWARF GOLDENROD TALL GOLDENROD]
Prairie Blazing Star. Button Snakeroot (_Laciniaria punctata_) is
sometimes called liatris from the scientific group to which these plants
are sometimes referred. A similar prairie blazing star is called
gay-feather. On the dry prairies in the western part of the state the
blazing star has short stems and short spikes of flowers; but where
moisture is more abundant, the plants are one to two feet high. The
plant does well in cultivation and is easily grown from the seed. It
ranges from Southern Canada to Texas and New Mexico.
The stems are closely covered with the narrow leaves, which are marked
with minute glandular dots. The spikes are densely covered with long,
narrow heads of purple flowers. There are only a few star-shaped tubular
flowers in a head. The seeds are widely scattered by their crown of
plumose bristles. The lovely spikes are often dried for winter bouquets.
Many eastern blazing stars are found in the woods of East Texas, where
they make showy displays from July to October. They are called
snakeroots from their reputed property of curing snake-bites. A tea made
from the plant will cause profuse perspiration; the perspiration was
probably responsible for the reported snake-bite cures. They are also
called devil’s bit or devil’s bite, because of the bitten-off appearance
of the rootstock. The rootstock was considered such a powerful remedy
for human ills that the devil bit off a part for spite.
Tall Goldenrod (_Solidago altissima_) grows 2-8 ft. high, has rough
leaves which are sharply toothed and prominently triple-nerved, and is
topped by dense clusters of yellow flowers. Most of the goldenrods are
widely distributed in North America; the tall goldenrod is abundant in
dry soil from Maine to Nebraska and Texas.
Gray, Field, or Dwarf Goldenrod (_Solidago nemoralis_) has flower heads
all turned to one side of the branches which top the slender wand-like
stems. The stems are one half to two feet high. This is one of the most
abundant goldenrods in the central and western parts of the state from
July to November and ranges from Canada to Florida and Arizona.
In Texas the goldenrods are usually found only in moist soil, many
eastern species growing profusely in East Texas. The three-nerved
goldenrod (_Solidago trinervata_) is the common one in Southwest Texas.
[Illustration: STIFF GOLDENROD]
Stiff or Hard-Leaved Goldenrod (_Solidago rigida_) is one of about
thirty-five goldenrods found in the state. It belongs to the type which
is responsible for the common name, as the yellow flowers are in heads
arranged in rod-like clusters at the top of the stem. The scientific
name of “Solidago,” meaning “to make whole,” had its origin in the
healing properties of certain species.
The stiff goldenrod grows in dry rocky or sandy soil east of the Rocky
Mountains from Southern Canada to Texas. It grows 1½-2 feet high and has
broad leaves 1-2 inches long. Lindheimer’s goldenrod (_Solidago
lindheimeriana_) is a similar stout, leafy-stemmed plant which is
abundant in Central Texas and ranges to Kansas and Mexico. Bigelow’s
goldenrod (_Solidago bigelovii_) is another species with rod-like
clusters. It is found in the mountainous regions of West Texas and New
Mexico.
[Illustration: BROOM-WEED]
Broom-Weed. Kindling-Weed (_Amphiachyris dracunculoides_) is a pasture
pest in the southern part of the Great Plains region. The slender stem
is unbranched near the base, but above the middle the numerous spreading
branches form a flat-topped plant which bears many small heads of yellow
flowers. The plants are often 2-4 feet high and grow in dense masses. It
has been used as a broom by early settlers, Mexicans, and children at
play. The resinous foliage of the dried plants was also highly valued
for kindling fires.
The broom-weed is closely related to the rabbit-brush which is so
abundant in West Texas and New Mexico. The Texas rabbit-brush
(_Gutierrezia texana_) of West Texas is so much like the broom-weed that
only a close observer can distinguish them. Both have 5-8 flowers with
strap-shaped corollas in the outer part of the head and a few tubular
flowers in the center; both bloom in the late summer and fall.
[Illustration: CAMPHOR DAISY TEXAS GUMWEED]
Camphor Daisy (_Heterotheca subaxillaris_), so called because of the
camphor-like odor of the rough foliage, is a common summer pest to the
farmer. The plants often grow 3 feet high and are much branched, bearing
heads of golden-yellow flowers nearly an inch across. The upper leaves
are broad and clasping, but the lower are narrowed at the base. The
scientific name refers to the dissimilar fruits of the ray and disk
flowers, those of the ray flowers having no bristles. It ranges from
Delaware to Arizona and Mexico.
Texas Gumweed (_Grindelia texana_) belongs to a group easily recognized
because of its sticky, bur-like heads and thick leaves. This one is
common on rocky limestone slopes in Central Texas in the fall and ranges
to Southwest Missouri. The wand-like stems, covered with the overlapping
leaves, are topped by large heads of yellow flowers. Many gumweeds are
found in Texas. Some of them were used to relieve colds, asthma, and
rheumatism.
[Illustration: BIG GUMWEED]
Big Gumweed. Saw-Leaf Daisy (_Prionopsis ciliata_) is easily recognized
by its straight, stiff stalks which are closely covered with broad oval
leaves. Dense masses of the sentinel-like plants may be seen along
fence-rows in North-central and West Texas in August and September. It
ranges north to Kansas and Missouri. The stems are topped by short
clusters of large heads, 2-3 inches broad. The leaves are thick, gummy,
and closely beset with bristle-tipped teeth. Sometimes an injury to the
stem may cause it to become widely branched.
The scientific name means “resembling a saw” and refers to the
leaf-margins. It is not a true gumweed but has similar bur-like heads.
It differs from the gumweeds in having several unequal hair-like
bristles on the seed, whereas the seeds of gumweeds have 2-8 stiff
bristles.
[Illustration: YELLOW SLEEPY DAISY]
Yellow Sleepy Daisy (_Xanthisma texanum_) is a yellow daisy with lazy
habits, for the heads do not open until noon. It is close kin to the
white lazy daisy (_Aphanostephus skirrobasis_), and the two may often be
found growing in the same fields. The large heads of lemon-yellow
flowers are quite showy and attractive, 1½ inches broad, solitary at the
ends of the branches. The ray flowers are narrow, about one inch long,
and conspicuously lance-shaped at the tips.
This plant blooms in the late spring and summer and is found on sandy
prairies or open woods in Central Texas. It is an annual, the stem
branched above, commonly about 1-1½ feet high. The leaves are glossy
green, somewhat narrow, and one to two inches long. It has been
introduced into cultivation in the North and East. The name is Greek,
meaning “dyed yellow.”
[Illustration: BERLANDIER’S GOLDEN ASTER IRON FLOWER]
Berlandier’s Golden Aster (_Chrysopsis berlandieri_) is common on
roadside banks and prairies of Central and West Texas. Growing from a
perennial root, the branched stems sprawl in clumps about a foot broad
and are thick with yellow heads soon after a heavy rain. The heads are
nearly an inch broad, the flowers all yellow. The leaves are whitish and
somewhat woolly. It blooms in the summer and fall.
Spiny-Leaved Yellow Aster. Iron Flower (_Sideranthus spinulosus_) has
yellow heads much like the preceding, but the leaves are quite
different, being divided into narrow segments which are bristle-pointed
rather than spiny as the name indicates. “Sideranthus” means “iron
flower.” It is very abundant on prairies and hills in the western part
of the state and ranges to Canada and Mexico. It blooms from March to
October. The iron flowers are often called gold daisies. The southern
iron flower (_Sideranthus australis_) is common in Southwest Texas.
[Illustration: WHITE LAZY DAISY OAK-LEAVED FLEABANE DAISY]
White Lazy Daisy (_Aphanostephus skirrobasis_) grows very abundantly in
sandy soil in spring and summer. It ranges from Kansas to Mexico and
Florida. The morning traveller does not appreciate its beauty, for it is
truly a lazy daisy, not opening its heads until nearly noon. The plants
are usually branched and grow 6-18 inches high. The large, showy heads
are 1-2 inches across and are usually long-stalked. Unlike those of many
other daisies, the seeds are not topped by slender bristles but have an
inconspicuous crown, as is denoted by the scientific name, which is
Greek for “faint crown.”
Oak-Leaved Fleabane Daisy (_Erigeron quercifolius_) is very abundant in
the spring in the East Texas woods and ranges through the Southern
States. The lower leaves resemble oak leaves, but those on the stem are
narrow and pointed. The numerous fleabane daisies in the state may be
readily recognized by means of the many, very narrow ray flowers which
are usually white, pale pink, or pale lavender.
Kiss-me-and-I’ll-tell-you (_Erigeron annuus_) is a taller daisy and is
very abundant in East Texas.
[Illustration: DWARF WHITE ASTER DWARF BLUE ASTER]
Dwarf Blue Aster (_Keerlia bellidiflora_) is a shade-loving, sprawling
plant growing in moist soil in Central Texas. Its small heads, less than
half an inch across, have the aster habit of closing at night and
opening in bright light. The outer ray flowers are bluish-lavender, and
the tubular inner flowers are yellow. It blooms from late March to May.
Dwarf White Aster (_Chaetopappa asteroides_) is a very small and wiry
plant, growing two to ten inches high and becoming much branched with
age. The small narrow heads with white rays and yellow disk flowers are
less than half an inch broad. The leaves are narrow, commonly broader
about the middle, and about half an inch long. The scientific name
refers to the bristles on the seed. It is very abundant in sandy soil
throughout the state and ranges to Missouri and Mexico. It blooms from
March until early summer.
[Illustration: ROADSIDE ASTER. BLACKWEED]
Blackweed. Roadside Aster (_Aster exilis_) is probably the least showy
of the asters but is very abundant in Texas. It ranges from Kansas to
Texas and Florida. The white, daisy-like heads may be noted against the
dark-green foliage in roadside ditches, or it may appear as a violet
haze along the highway. Although it is considered one of the common lawn
pests in the fall, yet even there it is a thing of beauty; for when the
slender stems are cut, numerous branches spread out from the base, and
soon the grass is studded with the tiny white or lavender heads. Keepers
of bees on the coastal prairie highly prize it as the source of their
most palatable honey.
Spiny Aster (_Aster spinosus_) is quite similar to the roadside aster
and has inconspicuous leaves which are sometimes reduced to spines. The
flower heads are less than an inch broad with white outer flowers. It
forms dense growths in river bottoms and along irrigation ditches and is
especially abundant in the vicinity of El Paso.
[Illustration: LATE PURPLE ASTER TANSY ASTER]
Late Purple Aster (_Aster patens_) shows its lovely heads in October and
November along the edges of post oak woods throughout the state. It is
easily recognized by the short, broad, and roughened leaves on the
wand-like stems. The illustration given is that of variety _gracilis_
which is abundant in the vicinity of Fort Worth. Many asters are found
in the state, but very few make a conspicuous floral display except
along the coastal plain and river bottoms.
Tansy Aster. Dagger-Flower (_Machaeranthera tanacetifolia_) has leaves
much like those of the spiny-leaved yellow aster, but the
purple-flowered heads are much larger and very showy, 1-2 inches broad.
The heads are surrounded by bracts with green spreading tips. The inner
tubular flowers are yellow but soon turn reddish-brown. It ranges from
Nebraska to Mexico and California. This is one of the loveliest flowers
on the western plains, blooming from May to October.
[Illustration: OIL WILLOW]
Narrow-Leaved Baccharis. Oil Willow (_Baccharis angustifolia_) looks
very much like the black willow, to which, however, it bears no
relationship. The leaves of baccharis have a resinous texture, and the
flowers appear in the late summer and fall. The pollen-bearing flowers
are not borne on the same shrub with the seed-bearing flowers. The
flowers, all small, inconspicuous, whitish, and tubular, are borne in a
narrow head of ovate bracts which soon turn brown.
It is called the oil willow by some of the older residents because it is
said to be an indicator of oil, just as the black willow is said to be a
good indicator of water. It is also called brittle willow, false willow,
and resin willow. It grows in brackish marshes throughout the state and
may be found eastward to North Carolina. The soft white plumy bristles
on the seed give the shrub the feathery appearance of the Yankee-weed.
Along the coast in the southeastern part, the groundsel-tree or
pencil-tree (_Baccharis halimifolia_) is a lovely sight in the fall.
[Illustration: LARGE RABBIT TOBACCO SMALL RABBIT TOBACCO]
Large Rabbit Tobacco (_Filago prolifera_) is a low plant less than six
inches high with a few short branches at the top of the stem and
sometimes a few at the base. The flowers are small and inconspicuous,
being borne in woolly, rather flattened heads which are about half an
inch broad. It blooms from January to June and ranges from Texas to
South Dakota.
Small Rabbit Tobacco (_Filago nivea_) is a smaller plant but is more
densely clothed with woolly hairs. The minute, ball-like heads are
clustered together. Both of these plants are also known as poverty-weed,
chewing gum, and ladies’ tobacco. Poverty-weed is a suitable name for
them in the sheep-grazing section of Central Texas which has been
heavily over-grazed. In many pastures they take the place of grasses as
a ground cover. The leaves may be chewed for gum. The rabbit tobacco is
closely related to the cudweeds and everlastings. The plantain-leaved
everlasting grows in moist woods in East Texas.
[Illustration: SOUTHERN MARSH FLEABANE]
Southern Marsh Fleabane (_Pluchea purpurascens_) grows only in marshes
or in continually moist places. The flowers are more rose-colored than
purplish, as the name would indicate, and the tawny bristles on the
seeds soon give a brownish tint to the heads. It often grows in pleasing
combination with the blue mist-flower. It ranges from Texas to Florida
and tropical America and blooms in the summer and fall.
The plants are commonly about two feet high, the stems being unbranched
below and very leafy. The broad leaves are pointed at the tip and
narrowed into stalk-like bases except on the upper part of the stem. The
leaf-margins are irregularly toothed. The fragrant flowers are borne in
small oblong heads in a flat-topped cluster.
The cudweeds are closely related to the marsh fleabane. They are
particularly abundant in the mountains of West Texas, the loveliest one
being Wright’s cudweed or everlasting (_Gnaphalium wrightii_), which has
white flowers and foliage.
[Illustration: ROCK DAISY BLACKFOOT DAISY]
Prairie Blackfoot Daisy. Mountain Daisy. Rock Daisy (_Melampodium
cinereum_) is very abundant on limestone slopes and in dry soil from
Texas to Arkansas, Kansas, and Arizona. The scientific name is from the
Greek words meaning “black foot” and refers to the blackened roots and
stalks.
Blackfoot Daisy (_Melampodium ramosissimum_) grows from a black woody
base and has many branched stems which form a dense rounded mound one to
two feet broad. After sufficient rainfall from early spring until
winter, this mound is covered by the saucy heads of white daisy-like
flowers. The heads are about three-fourths inch across and have an outer
row of 8-11 broad white ray-flowers. This is the most vigorous one of
the blackfoot daisies and makes an excellent plant for the rock garden.
It grows in Southwest Texas. The seeds are enclosed in a thickened
cornucopia-like floral bract which has a flaring rim and many warty
projections.
[Illustration: PRAIRIE ZINNIA TEXAS STAR DAISY]
Texas Star Daisy. Lindheimer’s Daisy (_Lindheimera texana_) shows its
star-like flower heads early in the spring while the plants are low and
the leaves are closely clustered. By June the plants are tall and widely
branched above. This plant honors by its name Ferdinand J. Lindheimer,
an early settler of New Braunfels and editor of the “Neu Braunfelser
Zeitung.” Lindheimer began his collection of Texas plants in 1836 and
continued until his death in 1879. With the assistance of Dr. George
Engelmann of St. Louis and Dr. Asa Gray of Harvard University,
Lindheimer’s collections between 1842 and 1852, representing more than
1400 species of plants, were classified and distributed to the leading
herbaria of Europe and America. A part of this collection is owned by
the University of Texas Herbarium.
Prairie Zinnia (_Zinnia grandiflora_) grows in low, rounded clumps from
Kansas to Mexico and Arizona and blooms from June to September. The
bright yellow ray flowers are nearly round and remain on the seeds. With
age they become papery, and the yellow disk flowers turn reddish-brown.
The common zinnia in cultivation was introduced from Mexico.
[Illustration: CUT-LEAVED DAISY. ENGELMANN’S DAISY]
Cut-Leaved Daisy. Engelmann’s Daisy (_Engelmannia pinnatifida_) is
closely related to the sunflowers but has the daisy habit of closing the
flower heads at night and opening them in bright sunlight. It is one of
the commonest plants on prairies from Kansas to Louisiana and Arizona
and grows in dense patches along roadsides and pastures from April to
July.
The rough, hairy plants grow one to three feet high and are topped by
broad clusters of long-stalked, showy yellow heads which are 1½-2 inches
broad. The divided leaves are short-stalked on the lower part of the
stem and on the upper part have clasping basal lobes.
This daisy honors the name of Dr. George Engelmann, an eminent botanist
of St. Louis, who died in 1884.
[Illustration: NIGGERHEAD]
Niggerhead. Thimble Flower (_Ratibida columnaris_) is also called
Mexican hat, niggertoe, “gallitos,” long-headed or prairie cone-flower,
and black-eyed Susan, though the last term is erroneously used. It is a
very handsome plant, which is widely distributed on plains from Southern
Canada to Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee. In South Texas it is at its
best in April and May; in North Texas it is lovely in late May and June.
Numerous erect stems grow from a woody perennial root and are commonly
two to two and a half feet high. The long-stalked heads terminate the
branches. The leaves are finely divided into long narrow segments, both
leaves and stem being somewhat rough.
The showy flowers have drooping, velvety rays which are entirely yellow
or reddish-brown or partly colored yellow and brown. The small tubular
flowers are brown and are borne on a thimble-shaped or columnar disk
which varies greatly in size on different flowers, sometimes being
nearly two inches long, but it is usually about an inch long. The disk
is gray-green before the flowers open.
The dwarf niggerhead (_Ratibida tagetes_) is quite similar to the large
niggerhead in growth habit and coloring, but it is a smaller plant and
has smaller flowers. It is found from Kansas to Mexico on dry plains and
blooms a month later than the large niggerhead.
The niggerhead belongs to a small group of showy American plants. It was
introduced into European gardens many years ago, whence it later made
its way back to American gardens. The niggerhead group is closely
related to the black-eyed Susan and other cone-flowers. Several giant
yellow-flowered cone-flowers grow in East Texas.
[Illustration: CLASPING-LEAVED CONE-FLOWER BLACK-EYED SUSAN]
Clasping-Leaved Cone-Flower (_Dracopis amplexicaulis_) makes a showy
display in roadside ditches from Central Texas to Louisiana and
Missouri. It is a handsome plant with smooth branched stems one to two
feet high. The slightly drooping rays commonly have brown spots at the
base but may be all yellow. It is often called niggerhead or black-eyed
Susan, but it may be distinguished from the latter by the thimble-shaped
heads, which are green before the brownish disk flowers open. In South
Texas it is at its best the latter part of April, but in North Texas
June is its best month.
Black-Eyed Susan (_Rudbeckia hirta_) is a common daisy of the plains
region from Southern Canada to Texas and Florida. It is a rough, hairy
plant which grows from one to three feet high. Closely resembling it is
_Rudbeckia bicolor_, which has shorter ray flowers marked with a
reddish-brown base. The ray flowers of _Rudbeckia hirta_ may also show a
dark base. Both are widely cultivated. The group was named in honor of
Claus Rudbeck, a Swedish botanist.
[Illustration: SAMPSON’S ROOT. PURPLE CONE-FLOWER]
Sampson’s Root. Narrow-Leaved Purple Cone-Flower (_Echinachea
angustifolia_) is easily recognized by the spreading or somewhat
drooping rose-colored rays. The heads terminate the stiff, unbranched
stems which, like the narrow leaves, are very rough and bristly. The
stems grow one to two feet high and are scattered on limestone hillsides
but may occasionally be found in dense patches along the roadsides. The
leaves have three prominent nerves.
The scientific name is derived from the Greek and refers to the stiff
reddish-brown chaff on the flower head. This chaff obscures the brown
disk flowers and remains on the heads long after the seeds have fallen.
This plant is hard to distinguish from the pale purple cone-flower
(_Echinachea pallida_), which grows in the woods in the eastern part of
the state. The latter has longer and more drooping ray flowers. The
purple cone-flowers are well known in cultivation.
[Illustration: RAGWEED. LYRE-LEAVED PARTHENIUM]
Ragweed. Lyre-Leaved Parthenium (_Parthenium lyratum_) blooms from early
spring until fall in Southwest Texas. This is a smaller plant than the
common parthenium (_Parthenium hysterophorus_), which is widespread in
the Gulf States and tropical America. The latter is a widely branched
plant two to three feet high and grows in dense masses. They have
similar flower clusters with small heads of greenish-white flowers.
Neither of these is the ragweed or bloodweed commonly associated with
hay fever; however, the common parthenium is listed as a poisonous
plant. Wild quinine or feverfew (_Parthenium integrifolium_), used as a
pioneer drug to relieve fever, has been reported from the state.
Several shrubby partheniums are found in West Texas. The most important
member of the group is the silver-leaved guayule or rubber plant
(_Parthenium argentatum_), found in West Texas and Mexico. It is a
commercial source of rubber but is not yet profitable, as the plants are
of slow growth.
[Illustration: COMMON SUNFLOWER]
Common Sunflower (_Helianthus annuus_) has been known in cultivation for
many years but is considered native from Minnesota to Texas and Mexico.
It is the state flower of Kansas. The stout, erect stems are widely
branched above the base and are very sticky, 2-10 feet high. The flower
heads, 3-6 inches broad, have many yellow ray flowers about an inch long
and numerous tubular disk flowers. It is grown commercially for its
fiber and seeds. The seeds make an excellent food for poultry and
furnish an oil used in making soap, candles, and salad dressing.
Two other sunflowers are widely distributed in the state. The orange
sunflower (_Helianthus cucumerifolius_) grows in the sandy post oak
belt, and the blue-weed (_Helianthus ciliaris_) is very abundant in West
Texas. The latter is a low, branching perennial which is poisonous to
sheep.
[Illustration: TEXAS COREOPSIS GOLDEN WAVE CALLIOPSIS]
Texas Coreopsis (_Coreopsis nuecensis_) was first described from plants
found on the lower part of the Nueces River. It is quite widespread on
the southern coastal prairie from March to May. It may be distinguished
from other annual species of coreopsis by the circle of reddish-brown
marks near the base of the yellow rays. The leaves are mostly basal and
long-stalked.
Golden Wave. Drummond’s Coreopsis (_Coreopsis drummondii_) has showy,
long-stalked heads, about 2 in. broad. They are borne on widely branched
plants about a foot high. The leaves are divided into broad segments,
and both leaves and stems have scattered soft hairs. It is very abundant
on sandy coastal prairies in April and May and is well known in
cultivation.
Calliopsis. Prairie Coreopsis (_Coreopsis cardaminefolia_) is a
late-blooming annual plant, the flowers appearing in North Texas about
the middle of June. It ranges from Kansas to Mexico and Louisiana. This
plant greatly resembles the golden coreopsis (_Coreopsis tinctoria_),
which is abundant on the coastal prairies in March and April.
“Coreopsis” is derived from the Greek, meaning “bug-like,” and refers to
the seed. The plants are often called tickseeds.
[Illustration: FALSE COREOPSIS]
False Coreopsis. Fine-Leaved Thelesperma (_Thelesperma trifidum_) is
sometimes erroneously called black-eyed Susan. It closely resembles the
coreopsis when the flowers are in the bud stage. The flowers may readily
be distinguished from those of the coreopsis because the ray flowers are
not marked with a brown spot at the base and are divided into three
equal lobes at the tip. The ray flowers of the coreopsis are commonly
divided into four lobes, the two lateral being shorter than the two
middle lobes. The leaves are finely divided into long, narrow segments.
This is one of the most widely distributed plants on the prairies from
Mexico to Colorado, South Dakota, and Missouri. The yellow of Central
Texas landscapes in late April and May is due to thelesperma. Scattered
plants continue to bloom through the summer and fall. The plants grow
1-2 feet high and become widely branched. The disk flowers are a
reddish-brown.
[Illustration: PLAINS PAPER-FLOWER]
Plains Paper-Flower (_Psilostrophe villosa_) is another western plant
which has foliage covered with a dense white woolly coat of hairs. This
hairy coat is a plant device for enabling it to withstand dry growth
conditions. There are only three or four ray flowers which are much
broader than long and are conspicuously three-lobed. The heads are
densely clustered on short branches at the top of the stems, which are
from six inches to two feet high.
Near El Paso is found the lovely western paper-flower or Cooper’s
psilostrophe (_Psilostrophe cooperi_). It grows in spreading clumps
about two feet broad and bears long-stalked heads over an inch wide. As
the flowers are bright yellow and remain lovely for months, they are
often gathered for winter bouquets. Eventually they become white and
papery. _Psilostrophe tagetinae_ has somewhat larger flowers than the
plains paper-flower and is probably the most abundant paper-flower in
the state. When cattle graze upon it for several weeks, they suffer a
slow poisoning. The marigold is a close relative, both the African and
French marigolds being derived from Mexican plants introduced into
cultivation about 1573.
[Illustration: FOUR-NERVED DAISY SILVER-LEAF DAISY]
Actinella Daisy. Four-Nerved Daisy (_Tetraneuris linearis_) grows with
small tufts of narrow leaves from a woody perennial root. The heads,
which are borne on stalks 2-8 inches long, close at night. The plants
often bloom throughout the year in Central and South Texas. They grow on
rocky limestone hillsides in Texas and New Mexico. The broad,
four-nerved ray flowers form a close border around the conic disk, which
is covered with small yellow tubular flowers. The veins of the outer
flowers, which give rise to the scientific name, are sometimes purplish.
Silver-Leaf Daisy (_Bahia dealbata_) is common in the western part of
the state into Arizona and Mexico. It grows 1-2 feet high from a woody
perennial root and often blooms throughout the year. The long-stalked
heads are a little over an inch broad with 9-12 yellow ray flowers. On
the silvery-gray stem the few leaves are commonly opposite, broad and
short-stalked, with a pair of lateral lobes near the base.
[Illustration: HUISACHE DAISY BITTERWEED]
Huisache Daisy (_Amblyolepis setigera_) is so called because it often
forms a carpet of gold under huisache (pronounced _wee satch_),
mesquite, or other chaparral bushes in Southwest-central Texas from
March to June. It is also called honey or butterfly daisy and
clasping-leaved bitterweed. It has the strong scent common to the
bitterweed, but is fragrant in drying. The plants are often loosely
branched, growing 6-12 inches high, and the yellow heads are about 1½
inches broad.
Sneezeweed. Fine-Leaved Bitterweed (_Helenium tenuifolium_) is often
found in pastures which have been over-grazed. It has a strong-scented
foliage which gives milk a bitter flavor. The ball-shaped mound of
disk-flowers (reminding one of camomile) and the few drooping ray
flowers, which have a broad 3-toothed edge and a narrow base, are
characteristic of the group. The seeds are small and are said to cause
sneezing when they are thrown into the air. The bitterweed blooms from
May to October and ranges from Texas to Virginia.
[Illustration: INDIAN BLANKET]
Indian Blanket. Firewheel. Beautiful Gaillardia (_Gaillardia pulchella_)
is the pride of Texas prairies. The landscape becomes a vivid red and
yellow in April, May, and early June when the firewheels are in bloom.
It is a highly-prized cultivated plant, and many varieties have been
developed. There are several species of gaillardias and many of them are
native to Texas. The beautiful one is the most widespread, ranging from
Texas to Louisiana, Nebraska, Arizona, and Mexico. The gaillardias are
named for a French botanist, Gaillard.
The heads are usually two or three inches across and are long-stalked.
Each head has 10-20 broad ray flowers which are sometimes all red but
usually are marked with a brilliant yellow across the three lobes. The
upper leaves are lance-shaped, and the lower are oblong and marked with
a few teeth or lobes. It is an annual plant which is widely branched and
grows one to one and a half feet high.
[Illustration: TINY TIM]
Tiny Tim. Spreading Thyme-Leaf (_Thymophylla polychaeta_) is found on
sandy prairies from South Texas to Mexico and New Mexico. There are
several thyme-leaf species in the state. They may be recognized by their
scented foliage and the cup-like base of the flower heads, the bracts of
the head being marked with large yellow or orange glands. There is
something appealing about the tiny Tim, as the name would indicate. The
branching stems with their lacy green leaves form rosettes which are
dotted with the yellow daisy-like flowers.
Dwarf Thyme-Leaf. Tiny Tim (_Thymophylla pentachaeta_) clings to cliffs
and rocky hillsides. It is a perennial plant with short stems four to
six inches high. The leaves are short and needle-like and are borne in
dense clusters around the stem. The flower heads are about half an inch
broad. Tiny Tim ranges from Texas to Arizona and Mexico.
[Illustration: DOG’S CAMOMILE]
Dog Fennel. Mayweed. Dog’s Camomile (_Anthemis cotulla_) is a
strong-scented herb widely scattered in America, naturalized from
Europe. It is very abundant in sandy soil in the eastern part of the
state. The plants are widely branched and bear numerous heads about an
inch broad. The rays are broad and wide and the disk flowers are yellow.
It begins to bloom in Texas in March, but the plants are at their best
in May and June. It is close kin to the European camomile, which is used
medicinally, a soothing tea being made from the dried ball-shaped heads
of yellow flowers.
Closely related to camomile and yarrow are the artemisias, which include
many species known as dusty miller, wormwood, sage-brush, and purple
sage. The silvery wormwood or thread-leaved sage-brush (_Artemisia
filifolius_) is very abundant in the sandy areas of West Texas and
throughout the Rocky Mountain States and Mexico. It blooms from July to
October.
[Illustration: YARROW]
Yarrow. Woods Milfoil (_Achillea millefolium_) was named in honor of
Achilles, to whom is attributed the discovery of its healing properties.
It is supposed to stop bleeding, relieve spasms, produce sweating, and
act as a tonic. The woods milfoil is widely distributed in woods in the
United States, Europe, and Asia. It makes a nice garden plant, for the
lacy fern-like leaves remain green all winter. The stems grow one to two
feet high and are topped by the flat flower-cluster. The ray flowers are
white or sometimes pale pink or lavender, and the disk flowers are pale
yellow.
Plains Yarrow. Woolly Milfoil (_Achillea lanulosa_) grows in moist
places on the plains from Texas to Canada, Mexico, and California. It is
very much like the woods yarrow but differs in that it has fewer
gray-green leaves and round-topped flower clusters. Its blooming season
is a little later than that of the woods yarrow, which blooms in April
and May.
[Illustration: TEXAS SQUAW-WEED]
Texas Squaw-Weed. Clasping-Leaved Groundsel (_Senecio ampullaceus_) is
an annual plant which grows so abundantly on the sandy prairies of Texas
that it forms a carpet of gold for miles and miles. It is one of the
earliest spring flowers to bloom in such showy profusion. The plants
commonly grow 1½-2 feet high, being branched above and forming
flat-topped flower-clusters which are often a foot broad. When quite
young, the plants are densely white-woolly but become smooth and shining
with age. The irregularly toothed leaves are 3-6 inches long and have a
broad clasping base. The groundsel belongs to one of our largest groups
of plants, some 1200 species being widely distributed over the earth.
Fine-leaved or woolly groundsel (_Senecio filifolius_) has woolly leaves
divided into narrow segments. The large heads are often in bloom
throughout the year in West Texas and New Mexico.
[Illustration: AMERICAN STAR THISTLE]
American Star Thistle. Basket Flower (_Centaurea americana_) is often
called spineless thistle because the leaves do not bear spines as do the
leaves of its close relative, the purple thistle. It is also known as
powder puffs, sweet sultan, and “cardo del valle.” It is a hardy annual
which is widely cultivated. Basket flower is the name under which it is
known in cultivation—a name which refers to the stiff, straw-colored
bracts of the flower head. These bracts are not spiny but are divided at
the tip into finger-like projections.
Before the flowers are fully opened, the heads resemble a shaving-brush,
and this is a common name frequently applied to this and other thistles.
All the flowers are tubular and divided into five long narrow lobes. In
one variety the fully-opened flower cluster has an outer border of
numerous lavender flowers with cream-colored flowers in the center.
There is another variety which has outer flowers a deep rose or reddish
purple and center flowers pale pink or rose; sometimes there is little
difference in shade between the inner and outer flowers.
The stems are usually branched and grow about two feet high. They are
marked with wing-like ridges and are covered with the overlapping,
ascending leaves. In Texas the flowers begin to bloom in May and
continue into June, being at their best the first week in June. After
the flowering season, the foliage becomes yellow and dried, and the old
stalks remain conspicuous in the fields for several months. The star
thistle is found on plains from Missouri to Louisiana, Mexico, and
Arizona. The variety which has reddish-purple flowers is very abundant
in the vicinity of Waco and Fort Worth.
The scientific name meaning “of the Centaurs” refers to the use by the
Centaurs of certain species for healing. The cornflower or bachelor’s
button (_Centaurea cyanus_) is a well-known garden annual.
[Illustration: WAVY-LEAVED THISTLE PURPLE-THISTLE]
Wavy-Leaved Thistle (_Carduus undulatus_) is the common prairie thistle
and is particularly abundant in the vicinity of Fort Worth. It grows
only 1-2 feet high, and the upper leaf-surfaces are yellow-green. The
heads are nearly twice as large as those of the purple thistle, and the
flowers are a lovely lavender color. It ranges from Southern Canada to
Texas and Arizona and blooms in Texas from April to June.
Purple Thistle (_Carduus austrinus_) is the common thistle in the
south-central part of the state. It is a tall, much branched plant, 3-4
feet high, with long-stalked heads of purple flowers. The stems are
white-woolly, and the leaves are white-felty beneath and dark-green
above, wavy-margined, lobed or divided, the segments being tipped with
spines. The heads are about 1½ inches high and broad. The numerous light
purple flowers are all tubular with narrow lobes. The thistles belong to
a large group, its most renowned representative being the Scotch
thistle.
[Illustration: NODDING THISTLE]
Nodding Thistle. Silver Puffs. Sunbonnet Babies (_Thrysanthema nutans_)
lacks the spines of the true thistles, but other characters show that
this interesting little plant is closely related to the thistle group.
The leaves form a basal rosette from which grows the slender, leafless
flowering stalk bearing the nodding flower head. The lyre-shaped leaves
are wavy-margined, dark-green above and white-felty below, 2-4 inches
long. The stalk is sometimes 15 inches long but is commonly about 8
inches high. The creamy-white flowers are rather inconspicuous, but as
the seeds mature, the soft white bristles spread into a showy whorl. The
plants are found in scattered places in rich soil from Central Texas to
Mexico.
Closely kin to the nodding thistle is the desert holly (_Perezia nana_),
which has salmon-pink flowers and holly-like leaves. It is a low plant
seeking the shelter of creosote bush, yucca, and other shrubs in West
Texas.