Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major. The broad, (2”) cross-hatched 7 veined leaves are up to 10” long, bearing large bare flower spike (396) The flower spike is short (3-4”), the flower head cylindrical (not cone shaped) and the white anthers barely project beyond the profuse bracts that hide the miniscule, green flowers, giving the bloom head a scaly look. Most common along paths, PDU, PL, roadsides (396) no pix 4/10/15-5/20/15; 4/17/16- ; 17 no obs; 4/?/18; 19 no obs; 20 no obs;
Texas Blue Grass; Poa arachnifera.; comprising the largest family of grasses, the Bluegrasses are characterized by slender stems, thick mats of rhizomes, and narrow, slightly folded leaves. Kentucky Blue Grass is actually a European introduction brought over to feed horses, but over 50 species of Poa are indigenous to the USA. As the name arachnifera (spider like) implies, Texas Blue Grass grows outward from a dense center of roots, rhizomes reaching out in every direction. But when crowded, the stems and leaves grow upright, forming dense stands of soft green leaves and thin, jointed flower stalks. Tiny white flowers are widely spaced along thin spikes, the miniscule seeds hidden deep within tough bracts. Native to prairies, Blue Grass occurs mingled in with other vegetation, as long as taller plants are kept mowed back. Buffalo, then cattle, originally kept prairies mowed down, but where there are no large grazers, or periodic fires, shorter grasses like Blue Grass get shaded out.
Blue Grass habit; a relatively low growing grass that radiates out from a dense, central root clump, sending up flower stems ending in a loose spike of tiny, white flowers.
Note; medium height, jointed stalks amidst slightly folded, blunt tipped grass blades interspersed with other prairie vegetation.
Mesquite; Honey Mesquite Prosopis juliflora var. glandulosa Cockerell;. A variable, medium sized, drooping, deciduous tree with fine, leathery leaflets, Mesquite is the favored wood for barbecues, but a curse for ranchers. Mesquite drops long seed pods and thorny stems, disqualifying it as a lawn tree. However, the frond like pinnate leaves, composed of leathery, strap like leaflets arranged in opposite pairs, produce a pleasant, light shade. A short, sharp spine projects from each leaf node along the twigs. The deeply furrowed bark, dark when young, lightening with age, is heavy with tannin, staining the soil and any water it falls in. The wood is brittle and heavy, dark reddish-brown streaked with black, but rarely straight enough for lumber or furniture. It decays above ground, but is impervious to rot underground, so stumps do not rot out. Old trunks are invariably hollow, but continue to live, as long as live wood grows on the outer perimeter. The elongated fluffy, greenish white flowers are fragrant, but short lived, converting to long (4-9”), slightly flattened pods, with small flattened seeds. Amerind people ground and leached the beans to make a thick flour. The leaflets are nutritious and moist, and though protected by thorns, make excellent fodder. It is the first tree to colonize overgrazed range-land, so its range spread following over-grazing and the Dustbowl. Mesquite grow upright on long arching suckers, which continue to droop each year, till nearly prone. They are nearly impossible to eradicate, as they resist fire and sprout back from roots, but because the tree does not grow upright it is soon crowded out by oaks, juniper and elm. Mesquite prairies extend from Mexico to Oklahoma, dominating a belt that runs from Mexico through San Antonio, Stephenville and Vernon. Green wood is often burned in –BQ or grills, for it burns slow and produces steam, which keeps meat from drying out. Local lore claims that once mesquite blooms there is no longer danger of frost. The three named varieties, (glandulosa, velutina and torreyana) are difficult to distinguish. (515-516) 4/20/15 – 5/1/15; 4/25/16; 3/28/17- ; 4/15/18; 19 not recrd; 4/24/20;
Honey Mesquite habit; a sprawling tree with deeply furrowed, coarse bark, sharp spines, and leathery leaflets, bearing fluffy greenish white flowers which convert to light colored bean pods
Note; deeply furrowed, fibrous, grey bark is laced with tannins, staining water a dark red
Note; arching new growth slowly droops towards the ground till nearly prone
Note; pinnate, frond like leaves, composed of opposite pairs of strap-like, leathery, light green leaves
Note; long columnar spikes of flowers, made up of many tiny flowers, are lightly fragrant
Note; sharp spines at each leaf node along the twigs
Note; long been pods
Blue (Tall) Vervain Verbena hastata. A tall (1-3’), stringy, perennial with strongly upright, weakly branching, slightly grooved stems off of which leaves with deeply pinnate lobes are arranged in opposite pairs. Sparse, tiny, blue, tube flowers bud directly off long terminal spikes, deeply enough embedded within shallow bracts so that no peduncle (stem) can be seen. The tube opens into a corolla of 5 petals, each cleft with a small wedge. Although it tolerates full sun to partial shade, this plant is widely scattered in yards, as well as open fields, since it is tall enough to compete with other leggy plants. Though tiny, flowers attract many butterflies. PDU, CC and CA (372) 4/10/15; 4/18/16; 3/21/17- ; 4/22/18; 4/20/19; 3/25/20
Blue (tall) Vervain habit. Note; very leggy, branching plant with tall, erect, grooved stems, lined with very narrow, deeply pinnate leaves in opposite pairs, bearing terminal spikes of tiny blue tube flowers.
Note; tiny, blue tube flowers deeply embedded in smooth, terminal flower spikes.
Note; tube flowers open to a five lobed corolla, each petal with a wedge shaped cleft.
Egg-leaf Skullcap Scuttelaria ovata. A shade loving, slightly fuzzy plant up to 3’ tall with large, egg shaped leaves, the margin marked by rounded teeth. Leaves and flowers are arranged in opposite pairs set at 90 degrees to the next set. Terminal spikes bear opposite pairs of soft, green bracts, from which emerge ¾” long lavender-blue flowers. The tube-like flowers are smooth except for the hooded “cap”, which is only slightly fuzzy. The S shaped tube faces straight out of leafy bracts, bends sharply upward, then turns forward, broadening and opening to a lip with two pronounced, lighter colored calluses. The bottom of the throat is white, speckled with lavender-blue. The seed capsules are shaped like skull-cap. Forested road sides, SWk, PDU, DORBA (376?) 6/3/15-; 5/16/16-7/1/16; 5/9/17- ; 5/15/18-; 19 no obs; 20 no obs
Egg Leaf Skullcap habit; tall pithy plants with opposite, egg shaped leaves, ending in terminal spikes of blue flowers
Note; opposite pairs of egg shaped leaves with rounded teeth
Note; S shaped profile of blue, smooth, tube flowers, sporting two calluses on an abruptly down turned lip
Note; soft, fuzzy green bracts in opposite pairs along the flower spikes
Note; upturned “skullcap” shaped seed capsules
Drummond’s Skullcap Scuttelaria drummondii. A rather short plant (5-10”), with square stems, and fuzzy, oval leaves arranged in opposite pairs, each rotated 90. Dark to medium blue, tube shaped flowers rise singly or in pairs from soft, fuzzy, green bracts at the axils of uppermost leaves. Tube open to a corolla of a hairy cap and a lip of 4 lobes, which unlike sage flowers, does not angle sharply downward. Two white stripes, which begin under the cap, run down the winged lip. A nectar tube begins under the hood, running back into the flower tube. The dried seed heads are flattened disks, said to look like little skull-caps. Common on open prairies during mild spring temperatures. PDU (376) 4/28/15-6/5/15; 5/10/16-6/10/16; 4/25/17-5/15/17; 4/25/18; 4/22/19; 4/25/20
Drummond’s Skullcap habit; short, square, fuzzy stems with opposite sets of oval leaves, each pair rotated 90 degrees, supporting spikes of bright blue tube flowers
Note; blue tube flowers with a fuzzy hood and a four lobed lip marked by two white stripes
Note; the winged lip is not as sharply bent down as the Sages.
Note; seed capsules are convex disks, like tiny, hairy skull caps
Texas Sage Salvia texana. Not to be confused with the flowering shrub Leucophyllum frutescens by the same name, this diminutive, native flower is a short, low growing (10”), weakly erect fuzzy plant with short, upturned, needle like leaves arranged opposite each other along thin stems. Light blue tube flowers set in deep, fuzzy bracts emerge in opposite pairs from along the upper end of the stems. Flowers have a smooth, arching, narrow upper cap and a wide, four lobed lip set at right angles. The lip is marked by a set of parallel white stripes, and white anthers set deep within the tube. Unlike other salvia (sage plants), the leaves of this species do not have an aromatic smell. Chalky flats (not in book) 5/10/16- ; 5/10/17; 18 no obs. 4/22/19; 4/20/20
Texas Sage habit; a low growing, weakly upright flower with fuzzy stems, small, upturned opposite leaves, and bright blue tube flowers set in fuzzy, green bracts.
Note; short, weakly upright, fuzzy plants with flowers emerging singly from leaf nodes along the upper end of the stems
Note; the light blue, tube shaped flowers that open to a smooth, arching cap and a wide, 4 lobed lip set at 90 degrees to the column.
Note; light blue tube flowers set in deep, fuzzy, green bracts
Note; light blue flowers, down-turned 4 lobed lip with twin white dots, and white anthers deep within the tube
Scarlet (Blood/Cedar Sage) Sage Salvia coccinea/roemeriana. A late blooming perennial that sends up multiple, tall (up to 30”), square stems from a central clump. Pairs of fuzzy, triangular (cordate), slightly drooping leaves with rounded teeth (crenate), are arranged opposite each other on hairy, round stems. Leaves emit a pungent, though not unpleasant smell when brushed or crushed. Bright scarlet tube flowers emerge from soft green bracts arranged in whorls at each node along a terminal spike, and later from spikes budding from upper leaf nodes. The tube opens to a upper cap and a lower corolla of a 4 lobes, partially fused into a downturned lip. White stamen protrude beyond the flower cap. Papery seed capsules produce two round, black seeds each. S coccinea prefers shade, often growing in juniper forests, thus earning the alternate name “Cedar Sage”. SWk (318 7/3/15 -9/4/15; 6/1/16; 5/10/17; 18 not recrd; 19 not recrd; 5/10/20
Scarlet/Cedar Sage habit; long, hairy, round stems lined with opposite; egg shaped leaves with rounded serrations, and terminal spikes of bright red flowers
Note; scarlet tube flowers in whorls from each node along the terminal spike
Note; paired, opposite, egg shaped leaves with rounded teeth along the margins
Note; leaves and stems emit a pleasant, but pungent smell when brushed or disturbed
Note; red tipped stamen protrude well beyond the flared lip, turned down at 90 degrees
Mealy Sage Salvia farinacea. This upright, pithy stemmed perennial forms dense clumps of pithy stems lined with elongated, slightly hairy, drooping, leaves with a coarsely toothed margin. Clumps of light, sky blue tube flower emerge from dark blue, tubular bracts, arranged in whorls along the terminal spikes and from upper leaf nodes. The tube unfolds from under a hairy sepal “cap”, into five lobes, dominated by a flared, down-turned lip with two broad “wings”, each marked with a prominent, white mark. Stamens protrude slightly beyond the dark blue, fuzzy, cap like “head”. The long lasting spikes bear flowers from early spring to at least mid summer, longer if rains persist. Though not used for seasoning, the leaves produce a sage smell when cut or crushed. Blue Sage S azurea is similar, and more commonly grown as an ornamental, but the lip of that species does not have white marks on it. PDU, PL. (374) 4/10/15- winter into spring 16; 4/5/16; 3/29/17- ; 4/5/18; 5/4/19; 3/28/20
Mealy Sage habit; dense clumps of long, pithy stems lined with narrow, opposite, coarsely toothed leaves,, with dark blue-grey terminal flower spikes
Note; drooping, opposite leaves with coarsely toothed margins,
Note; dense stands of Mealy Sage on mixed prairies
Note; tube flowers emerge from fuzzy, dark blue bracts arranged in whorls along blue terminal spikes.
Note; bright blue, downturned, two lobed lip sporting twin white spots emerges from a fuzzy cap.
Giant Ragweed Ambrosia trifida. Though many plants are called ‘ragweed’, at up to 10’ tall, this pithy, mostly unbranched, late blooming weed is by far the largest. This plant is responsible for many of the late summer allergies in central Texas. Palmate (hand-shaped) drooping, leaves with 3-5 ‘fingers’ that can reach 10” across, branch in opposite pairs from regularly spaced nodes. Small spikes of knobby, greenish flowers sprout from leaf nodes and terminal buds. Leaves and stems are covered in short bristles, or hairs, giving the plant a rough texture. A shake of the mature plant produces a cloud of yellow pollen. Most common in lower areas of deeper soils (PDU, CA, DORBA) where water soaks in. Not in book. 9/14/16; 17 not recrd; 18 not recrd; 19 not recrd
Giant Ragweed habit, tall pithy, mildly branching stalks with large, drooping, palmate leaves, and spikes of tiny, inconspicuous green flowers.
Note; large, hand shaped, drooping leaves
Note; terminal spikes of tiny, green flowers, set deeply in coarse bracts, produce dust like pollen
Note; plant has a rough texture due to tiny bristles covering all surfaces of stalks, stems and leaves
Trail Trotter's Flower Guide 