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;
Branching Broomrape Orobanche ramosa. A leafless, parasitic plant whose stems tap into the roots of other plants, like Tobacco, Potatoes, or Mint, which sends up branching clumps of dark colored stems which bear light lavender tube flowers with a white mark on the lip. Under the ground the plant forms a bulb like nodule around the roots of some plant, then sends up a short, stout stalk that branches at the surface. Not able to produce chlorophyll, Broomrape has no leaves, parasitizing other plants. Locally uncommon, this pest can form colonies which are not noticed, since they are very short, and get quickly overgrown after they bloom. In Europe this species is harvested and prepared like asparagus. SWk, Not in Book, 3/25/19 – 5/4/19; 3/28/20 – 5/?/20;
Branching Broomrape habit; a leafless parasitic plant producing clumps of light blue tube flowers.
Note; Broomrape does not produce any leaves, tapping into the roots of other plants
Note; branching clumps of leafless stalks, each bearing slightly arched, blue flowers with a white spot on the lip and into the throat.
Crape-Myrtle; Crape-Myrtle/Ladies Streamers Lagerstoemia indica L;. This relatively small, deciduous, multi-trunked tree, originally from drier parts of India, grows from a bulbous base, allowing it to survive fire, drought and flooding. The smooth, reddish-brown bark sheds in layers, revealing greyish new bark underneath. Though hardy, and having viable seeds, this commonly planted cultivar, grown for its attractive flowers and foliage, has not been known to reproduce itself in forests, or on the prairies. In yards, the tree sprouts, often as not, from roots, rather than its seeds. An evergreen in tropical environments, but deciduous in temperate zones, or regions with a prolonged dry season, it tolerates Dallas summers, blooming in July. New growth and suckers sprout in May, the attractive, glossy, oval leaves arranged in an alternating pattern, followed by terminal panicles of round, purplish buds which open to 1” showy, lightly fragrant flowers with crape like petals born on filaments, and curved pistols and stamen that project well beyond the petals. Modern hybrids range from white to deep red to purple. Flowers convert to black capsules less than ½” across, filled with small, hard seeds. New shoots, covered in a light grey powdery substance, can grow as much as 5’ in one season, needing yearly pruning to shape the tree and encourage blooming. (787) 5/15/16; 5/8/17; 5/25/18; 5/25/19; 5/27/20;
Note; terminal, dense panicles of round buds open nearly all at once, weighing the stems down
Crape Myrtle habit; multiple, leggy trunks with bark that peels off in layers, glossy oval leaves
Note; glossy, crisp, oval leaves are arranged alternately along new growth, which are leggy and brittle
Note; round buds open to frilly, crape like petals and curved pistols and stamen that protrude beyond the flower profile
Note; flowers have a lite, pleasant fragrance most obvious during the heat of the day
Buckeye; Texas Buckeye Aesculus arguta Buckley;. A low-growing, shade loving, weak, crooked, deciduous, understory tree which grows in moist soils, bearing large (12-18”), soft, palmate leaves with a toothed margin. The hand-shaped leaves have up to 9 “fingers” with herring-bone veination radiating out from a central stem. The light gray bark is soft and scaly looking. Dense, terminal panicles sprouting from new shoots produce greenish white to yellowish bulb-shaped flowers, the pistol and filamentous stamen (topped with brown anthers) protruding beyond the petals. Flowers convert to a dry, ball-like, prickly seed pods covered with dull spikes, containing 2 flattened lustrous, smooth seeds 5/8” to ¾” across. Found only along creek beds in low lying areas. Stream-side portions of Big Tree Circuit and DORBA trails (678-679) 3/28-4/13/15; 3/21/17-4/7/17; 3/22/18-3/29/18; 3/25/20 – 4/1/20;
Texas Buckeye habit; a short, soft, deciduous understory tree with large, hand shaped leaves, each with up to 9 fingers, found locally only along stream beds
Note; the soft, scaly bark has random, corky knobs embedded in it.
Note; the large, palm shaped leaves have 7-9 narrow elliptical leaflets, each with toothed margins, all radiating from a common stem.
Note; terminal panicles of bulb shaped yellow-green flowers with protruding pistol and filamentous stamen, each tipped with brown anthers. Late March to early April
Note; the seed pod is a dry, round, brown pod with dull warty projections.
Buckeye; Mexican Buckeye Ungnadia speciosa Endl;. A deciduous bush with many leggy, smooth barked trunks, which forms dense clumps of small arching, boughs nver more than 3″ in diameter, growing from a central woody knot just under ground level. Common on chalky limestone, it reaches tree proportions in some areas with deeper soil. Clusters of attractive, pale pink, fragrant, peach-like flowers about ½” across bud directly from nodes on trunks and old stems, new growth coming in after the flowers have bloomed. Each flower has 5 petals, the curved anthers and pistol protruding beyond them. A deciduous plant, the flowers emerge shortly before the compound leaves bud out, each with 5-7 leaflets, on new, fast growing stems. Blooming in mid-March, U speciosa overlaps somewhat with Redbud. The fruit is a three lobed, pear-shaped, internally divided capsule, each of which has a single, shiny, black, slightly toxic seed about ½ across and ¾” long, with a pronounced white spot on one end. Archaeological evidence of stashes of seeds mixed with Mountain Laurel (Mescal) seeds in remote caves suggests that Amerinds did not devise a method to detoxify the seeds for food, but used them in conjunction with Mountain Laurel as a ritual stimulant (686) 3/28-4/17/15; 3/23/16-4/20/16; 3/11/17-3/30/17; 3/22/18-4/15/18; 3/20/19-4/14/19; 3/17/20 – 3/27/20;
Mexican Buckeye habit; multiple, leggy, arching, small, smooth trunks growing from a common base bear clumps of pink flowers directly off of old stems before foliage emerges
Note; clumps of flowers bud directly from old leaf nodes on trunks and older stems.
Note; showy, pink, fragrant flowers with curved pistol and stamen that protrude out beyond the 5 petals
Note; three lobed seed capsules, each with three large, lustrous, black, oval seeds that rattle when the boughs are shaken.
Note; compound leaves do not emerge until flowers have bloomed
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
Texas Plume (Standing Cedar) Ipomopsis rubra. A biannual, the first year is spent as a low rosette of lacy, deeply cut compound pinnate, thread-like leaves. The second year the tall (3-4’), pithy stem grows up out of the rosette, lined with increasingly smaller leaves, producing a spike like panicle of tubular, trumpet shaped, bright orange-red flowers with darker orange spots. Unexpectedly, the 1” long by ½” wide flowers begin blooming from top down, small side branches producing dense clusters of orange flowers, . Filamentous anthers and an even longer pistol protrude beyond the lip of the central nectar tube, which splits into five petals. Seed capsules are tucked in the thread-like leaves, turning tan as they mature. Plants grow readily from seed, especially in garden soil. SWk. (312) 5/6/15-; 4/29/16-7/1/16; 4/22/17- ; 5/3/18; 5-6-19; 5/1/20
Texas Plume habit; a tall, pithy stalk lined with lacy, pinnate, thread like leaves culminating in a spike of bright orange red flowers, which begin opening from the top
Note; thread like, deeply cut, compound pinnate leaves arranged in a rotating spiral around the tall pithy stalk
Note; bright, orange-red, trumpet flowers opening up to a 5 petal corolla, with red specks on the petals.
Note; the 5 basal stamen, tipped with white anthers and a split pistol, originating within the nectar tube, protrude beyond the flower corolla.
Note; seed capsules embedded in lacy leaves turn tan when mature
Chickthief Stickleaf Mentzelia oligosperma. This small, readily branching, pithy perennial has very jagged leaves with no petioles arranged alternately in a spiral around bristly stems. The leaves and stems stick to clothing like Velcro, giving the plant the moniker “stick-leaf”. Medium sized (3/4”) yellow-orange, short lived, almost translucent flowers, have 5 elliptical petals with pointed tips. A brush of stamen, tipped with white anthers spray out from the base of the pistol, which has a stigma divided into 5 white blobs. The narrow sepal buds form an offsetting base for the flowers, and close in around the seed capsule. One of the first phase in plant succession, Stickleaf colonizes disturbed soil, but is crowded out by grasses. Whole twigs will break of when the leaves catch on clothing or hair, dragging seed capsules along with them. No info on the name “Chick-Thief” SWk (not in book, see 168) 5/14/15; 6/5/16-7/1/16; 5/15/17- ; 5/12/18; 5/18/19; 5/24/20
Chick-Thief Stick-Leaf habit; a branching perennial with ragged leaves that stick to clothes, and small, bright orange-yellow flowers.
Note; stemless leaves with a ragged outline and no petiole,
Note; Velcro surface on leaves and stems that stick to clothing or hair.
Note; yellow orange, 5 petal flowers with pointed tips, and a dome-like spray of anthers
Snake Herb (Oblong Leaf Snake-Herb) Dyschoriste linearis. A low-growing (10”) perennial with slightly hairy stems, and oblong (1-2”) leaves that are slightly hairy on the underside and have a very finely toothed edge. The relatively large (1” long) lavender tube flowers, with light purple veining and spots in the throat, open to a corolla of five lobes, two nearly fused petals pointing upward and three widely separated petals pointing down. The middle lobe is a lip, marked by a roughened, light area flecked with dark blue spots, giving it the nickname “poka-dots”. Tightly furled flower buds are set in a cage of sepal bracts, the flowers, born directly from these bracts at leaf axils and plant tips, lack notable pedicles. Tendril-like stamen and pistol are visible in the mouth of the flower, coiled against the roof of the tube. Slight ribbing on the lip floor forces insects up against the anthers, leading to pollination. No information on the illusion to snakes. Prevalent In isolated colonies along PL, PDU, MK. (Not in book, see 372) 5/12/15; 5/2/16- ?; 5/2/18; 5/17/19; 19 no obs; 5/28/20
Snake Herb habit; Low growing clumps of tough stems with narrow, spatulate, opposite leaves and lavender tube flowers
Note; the stamen protrude beyond the mouth of the tube
Note; single flowers are set deep in bracts, opening in slow succession,
Note; tube opens to a corolla of 5 lobes, two pointing up, three pointing down.
Note; the lip has roughened calluses, forcing insects to brush the stamen
Longneck Ruel (Wild Petunia) Ruellia nudiflora. A low-growing, shade loving perennial that forms clumps of stems with opposite, glossy green, crisp, smooth (non-hairy), oval shaped leaves, which bears purple tube flowers that superficially resemble Petunia. A long, bare, branching, terminal spray produces tucked buds encased in spidery sepal bracts. Buds unfold into 1” long, blue-purple tube flowers with an arched neck, that open up to a corolla of five lobes. The white anthers are contained completely within the throat of the flower. Although it looks green and lush, this plant is a native of drier areas, and enjoys our dry summers. Pollinated flowers form seed capsules. A semi-domesticate cultivar has elongated leaves and darker purple flowers with longitudinal lines in the tube throat. Forested areas of MK, SWk, CC, CA, DORBA (372 6/26/15 – 9/2/15; 5/9/16; 4/20/17- ; 6/7/18 ; 5/5/19; 5/10/20
Long Necked Ruel habit; drought tolerant clumps of pithy stems with opposite, glossy green, oval leaves on short petioles, bearing a loose spray of lavender-blue tube flowers
Note; front view of tube flowers that open to a wrinkled corolla of 5 lobes, with white anthers set deep in the throat
Note; furled buds set in a spidery bracts
Note; side view of long neck, blue flower
Note; tube flowers on a long, hollow,arched neck, open up into wrinkled corolla
Note; clumps of opposite, glossy green, oval leaves on short petioles.
Note; domesticate cultivar known as “Mexican Petunia” with lanceolate, opposite leaves and loose sprays of long necked, blue flowers with dark linear markings in the lip.
Trail Trotter's Flower Guide 