Sage; Texas Sage

Sage; Texas Sage, Leucophyllum frutescens.  This hardy, evergreen shrub from the Chihuahua desert sports light grey, rounded leaves, and bright purple tube flowers which are intensely fragrant.  A popular flowering hedge, Texas Sage tolerates trimming, is drought resistant, prefers full sun, and blooms when nothing else will.  The light grey, slightly fuzzy, oval leaves are attractive in their own right, and smell only slightly of sage.  The grey color and hairs give the shrub protection from both the hot sun, and cold desert nights.  The plant blooms irregularly, breaking out into full blooms several days after a rain, all the sage plants in an area blooming so vigorously that the shrub is covered with light purple tube flowers that open to a 5 petal corolla.  Flowers bud singly from the node of each leaf, covering new growths with blossoms.  Honey bees swarm to the heavily pungent flowers for the few days they are open.  This shrub will reach 10 – 15 feet in height if watered, but is usually shorter, preferring to spread out in a dense, compact, naturally rounded shape that needs little maintenance.  It does not propagate naturally in the DFW region, but does well when planted.  Most plants are found in yards, hedges around shopping centers, or boulevard medians.

Texas Sage; a compact shrub with light grey, fuzzy leaves which blooms periodically with masses of purple tube flowers.

Note; oval, slightly pointed, light grey leaves are densely arranged in an alternating whorl.

Note; all Texas Sage shrubs in an area will burst into flower at the same time, covering the plant with pungent, lavender blooms.

Note; lavender tube flowers, the throats speckled with orange or red, open up to a corolla of 5 lobes, two pointing up, three pointing down.

Bumelia; Woolybucket Bumelia

Bumelia; Woolybucket Bumelia/Gum Bumelia/Chittamwood Bumelia lanuginose var. texana Pers;.  This lanky, irregular shaped, crown tree, with dark, narrowly ridged, corky bark and small spatula shaped leaves (wider at the end than the stem), often remains evergreen throughout the winter if it is not too severe.  Even then, the tree is biennially shedding, leaves falling after staying green for two years.  Small sharp thorns grow on smaller branches, but disappear on older growth.  The light green leaves are glossy on the upper surface but fuzzy underneath.  Caterpillars that eat only Bumelia usually eat most of the first growth of new leaves, but a second budding of leaves survives.  Globes of small white flowers bud from leaf axils in mid-summer, producing clusters of black berries eaten by many birds in the fall.  The wood is dark and heavy, but brittle, breaking under loads of snow or in high winds.  Found mostly as an isolated tree in forested areas. (832-833) 5/29/16, 17 no obs; 6/25/18; 19 no obs;

Wolleybucket Bumelia habit; a tall, lanky, evergreen forest tree with narrowly ridged dark trunk bark bearing soft, light green leaves with a fine wool on them

Note; glossy, spatula shaped leaves that are fuzzy on the underside

Note; umbels of tiny white flowers  bud from old nodes, which open only partially, late June to July, producing small black berries in the fall

 

Note; web caterpillars eat most of the first growth of leaves, a second set of leaves growing in which last the summer

Note; twigs are parasitised by stem gauls

Note; sharp thorns on new growth disappear from mature branches and trunks

American Beauty-Berry

Beauty-Berry; American Beauty-Berry Callicarpa americana L.  A woody, deciduous, understory shrub with slightly fuzzy twigs, and soft, broadly elliptical, opposite leaves with toothed margins.  The main stem does not develop thick bark, and branches are straight, but divide at sharp angles.  The leaves smell pleasant when disturbed, though they do not have a strong aroma, like spices or sages.  Small, white flowers with inconspicuous petals are born in small, dense umbels from leaf axils toward the ends of new stems.  The 5 basal stamen, each tipped with a yellow anther, protruding beyond the petals.  Flowers convert to crowded, dense clumps of light purple to blue berries, slightly sweet to the taste.  The berries, each with four tiny seeds, touch each other, seeming to bud directly from the stems.  (892) 8/15/18 (Berry 9/20/18); 6/18/19;

Beauty-berry flowers; a short, deciduous understory shrub with opposite, slightly fragrant, coarsely serrated leaves bearing dense umbels of small, white flowers from new leaf axils, the 5 basal stamen projecting beyond the 5 inconspicuous petals

Note; deciduous woody stems with thin bark and soft new growth preferring partial shade along trail margins, bearing broad, soft, slightly fragrant leaves with coarsely toothed margins, arranged in opposite pairs

Note; opposite pairs of large, soft, slightly fragrant leaves with coarsely toothed margins bud and grow in before flowers appear.

Note; tight bunches of light purple to blue berries, each with 4 tiny seeds, that have a slightly sweet taste

Woolyleaf, Pringle’s Woolyleaf

Pringle’s Woolyleaf Eriophylum pringlei. This miniaturized, fuzzy, grey-green plant of roadsides or heavily mowed areas rarely looks like a succulent and is rarely more than 3” tall.  Several stems arise from the same rhizome like root system, rarely branching, but retaining a crowded, compact form.  The short, elliptical leaves are densely clustered around the soft stems in a tight spiral, the uppermost leaves surrounding a dense cluster of tiny yellow-white flowers.  Seed capsules are tiny pods with 3-4 holes, like salt shakers, from which the miniscule seeds are shaken out when struck by rain drops or disturbed by passing feet.  (206 Soccer, roads, path edges, PL.) 4/28/15-5/20/15;  4/15/16; 17 not recrd; 4/22/18; 4/7/19; 20 not recrd;

Pringle’s Wooleyleaf habit; very short,  grey-green, fuzzy miniature that tolerates mowing, the alternating spiral of thick leaves supporting a compact head of tiny, yellowish flowers

Note; dense clusters of small, fuzzy, elliptical, grey green leaves which end in terminal bunch of flowers

Note; the thick leaves resemble a succulent

Note; dense bunches of tiny yellow flowers embedded in rosettes of fuzzy leaves

Note; seed capsules are punctuated with 3-4 tiny holes, like salt shakers

Vervain, Blue Vervain

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.

 

Three Fans

Three Fans (Ratany) Krameria lanceolata. An unusual, sprawling perennial with multiple, long (12”) reddish stems radiating out from a central taproot, working their way through surrounding vegetation.  Small (1”), slightly hairy, elongated oval leaves, with no petioles are arranged alternately along the stems.  The dark red flowers, which could be mistaken for an Orchid, are about ¾” across, born singly on short peduncles, composed of 5 pointed petals around an odd-shaped, green pistol.  The stigma is a three lobed projection, fringed in red, rising from a green bubble flanked by two “wings”, referred to as ‘fans’.  Chalky flats, otherwise uncommon locally. (328) 5/10/15-5/20/15; 5/10/16- ; 17 no observation; 5/1/18; 19 no obs; 5/5/20

Three Fans habit; long, creeping reddish stems, coated with fine hairs, with alternating, elongated leaves, and dark red flowers

Note; sparse, oblong, slightly hair leaves alternating along reddish, trailing stems that are lined with soft, white hairs

Note; red flowers, each with 5 petals, arranged around a green pistol with three, fringed ‘fan’ like projections

Note; flowers born singly on short peduncles

Note; two white anthers next to a prominent stigma, mid-pistol

 

Texas Yellow Star

Texas Yellow Star Lindheimera texana. A soft stemmed, fuzzy, if not bristly annual of medium height, the Yellow Star has opposite pairs of soft, clasping, fuzzy, light grey-green lanceolate leaves with smooth margins.  The single stems do not clump, and only weakly branch, going dormant by the time summer turns hot.  The 1” to 1.5” yellow-orange flowers are born in a loose, branching spray, opening one at a time, as a slightly bell-shaped 5 pointed, yellow “star” framed by 5 thick sepals.  Each petal is veined linearly, with a noticeable notch in the end.  Soft seed capsules split, spilling tiny brown-black seeds.  Preferring partial shade, it is found along forest margins of CC, PDU. (202) 4/2/15 – ; 3/15/16; 3/22/17- ; 4/22/18; 3/20/19; 3/25/20

Texas Yellow Star habit; a medium height, fuzzy, weakly branching plant with opposite, clasping leaves and terminal clusters of yellow, 5 petal flowers

Note; clasping, fuzzy, lanceolate leaves with smooth margins arranged in opposite pairs

Note; seed capsules full of tiny black seeds.

Sunflower, Kansas Sunflower

Kansas Sunflower Helianthus annuus. A very tall (4-7’), pithy-stemmed, branching annual with coarse bristles on all parts of the plant.  Sunflowers, unlike daisies, have only one stalk per plant.  The large (4-10”) heart-shaped leaves are dull green, born alternately along the stalk in an open spiral, droop slightly.  Unlike commercial sunflowers, Kansas Sunflowers produce a loose, branching terminal and axillary flower sprays.  The large (4-6”) flower-heads (larger on the terminal sprays) sport flat, yellow, pointed ray flowers nearly 2” long arranged around a disk comprised of tiny reddish flowers.  The larger, terminal flowers emerge first, then those budding from leaf axils.  The seeds are embedded in the disk, appearing as a composite spiral.  Common in disturbed soils (198) 5/20/15; 6/1/16- ; 5/20/17- ; 5/28/18; 19 not recrd; 5/20/20;

Kansas Sunflower habit; tall, thick stemmed plant with heart shaped, alternate leaves, and loose terminal and axillary sprays of large, showy, bright yellow ray flowers.

Note; all parts of the plant covered in bristle like hairs.

Note; large, heart shaped leaves are arranged around the stem in a loose, alternating spiral

Note; flowers comprise a ring of large, pointed ray flowers around a disk of tiny reddish flowers

Note; ray petals, with 4 or 5 linear veins, end in pointed tips

Note; seeds are embedded in the brown disk in a spiral pattern

Note; flowers born singly on a loose spray,

Sunflower, Engelmann’s Sunflower

Engelmann’s Sunflower/Daisy Engelmannia pinnatifida. A perennial that looks like a small sunflower, this daisy, which begins as a rosette of hairy, deeply pinnate leaves, produces multiple, branching stalks, the leaves alternating up the stems. Slender, branching flower sprays produce bright yellow ray flowers 1”-1 1/4” across, surrounding a central, green disk.  From the disk bud 20 or so yellow disk flowers, each with projecting anthers.  The 8 ray petals have linear veins, ending with three teeth, which curve back in the heat, or as they age throughout the long blooming season. Disks produce a seed capsule with a central spike, not an open head, like sunflowers. The loose panicles of flowers become bushy as the plant ages.  An invasive of disturbed soils, this flower is crowded out by perennial vegetation, unless the area is mowed down.  Most common along road sides, trail margins, and lawns.  (202) 4/6/15-; 3/27/16; 3/13/17- ; 3/26/18 – 6/15/18; 3/25/19; 3/25/20

Engelmann’s Sunflower habit; long deeply pinnate leaves on a clump of hairy, branching stems, with an open panicle of bright yellow ray flowers

Note; basal rosette of large, deeply pinnate, fuzzy leaves, arranged on stalks in an alternating spiral

Note; loose sprays of 8 petal ray flowers, each petal ending in a toothed tip, surrounding a yellow disk

Note; 8 ray petals, each with several deep veins, surrounding a green disk with embedded yellow disk flowers.

Note; petals curve back in the heat, or with age

Storksbill, Redstem Storksbill

Redstem Storksbill (Filaree) Erodium cicutarium. 3-11 14. This low growing ground cover with hairy, compound, finely pinnate leaves that branch alternately off of red, hairy stems, begins as rosette of leaves.  One of the first plants to bloom, the furry coating helps protect leaves from frost.  Small, loose sprays of hairy buds open in rapid succession to reveal tiny (1/4”) lavender-pink flowers, each with 5 linear, elliptical petals.  The central pistol is surrounded by 5 stamen with purple anthers, the pistol dividing into a five pointed star.  Flowers produce a linear cluster of straight, needle shaped seed capsules that imaginatively resemble a stork’s bill, giving the plant its moniker. Blooming continues until hot weather, then may pick up again in the fall.  Road-sides, lawns, disturbed soil. (292) 2/8/16-; 2/8/17- ; 2/10/18; 2/8/19 – ; 1/16/20

Redstem Storksbill habit; a rosette of fine, compound pinnate, hairy leaves arranged alternately along red stems, which produce umbels of tiny pink flowers, which convert into needle like seed capsules.

Note; loose spray of small lavender 5 petal flowers with purple stamen.

Note; flowers convert to long, straight, needle shaped seed capsules said to resemble storks’ bills.