Rose of Sharon Hibiscus

Rose of Sharon Hibiscus; Habiscus syriacus.  Several hibiscus are cold hardy enough to tolerate Dallas’ weather.  H syriacus is originally from southern China, but was collected from Syrian gardens, hence the species name.  Although it will not propagate locally, this medium sized, pink to lavender hibiscus is locally perennial, adding a dash of color during summer months.  The tough, slightly rough, narrow, but miltilobed leaves alternate along woody stems, sprouting again from leaf nodes in late spring.  The five lavender to soft pink, or even blue petals have a darker basal spot where they connect to the long pistol, which like other hibiscus, sprouts short stamen tipped with white anthers toward the tip.  The ovaries ripen into dry capsules that crack into 5 sections, allowing the seeds to disperse.  Although it can tolerate full sun, this hibiscus does best where the afternoon sun is dappled by shade trees, but it will not do well in dense shade.  Mature “trees” have several erect, somewhat leggy, weakly branching ‘trunks’.

Note; a weakly branching, erect, woody tree like bush with narrow, deeply lobed, rough, alternating leaves, producing pink to lavender flowers with a darker basal spot.

Note; alternating leaves with somewhat narrow, deeply cut leaves.

Texas Blue Grass

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.

Bunch Grass

Bunch Grass; thick clumps of jointed stems and long, narrow blades form compact lumps on the prairie, making the surface uneven.  Bunch Grass does not spread by rhizomes, but stays in a tight clump, forming a solid, deep root mass.

 

Nutsedge

Nutsedge; Cyperus sp (Nut Grass); a pithy, thick stemmed grass like sedge with knot like seed heads that look like burrs, but which are mildly soft and not prickly.  This grass like plant, which grows from a small bulb like tuber, elsewhere called “grass-nuts”, prefers well watered, partially shaded areas, is probably an ornamental that escaped cultivation, as it does not occur in native prairies.  The thick, somewhat triangular stems are light and pithy, dividing into sets of three at prominent nodes, but otherwise there are no joints in the stems.  The long, narrow leaves are thickened and arch away from the plant center.

Burr Grass habit; clumps of thick, smooth, unjointed stems that are nearly triangular in cross-section, which rise from dense clumps of fibrous roots, which produces dense clumps of soft, burr like seed heads

Note; dense clumps of burr like heads

Foxtail Grass

Foxtail Grass; Setaria viridis (Green Foxtail/Bristlegrass); a short to mid-sized annual bunch-grass that produces clumps of thin, jointed stems lined with wide, relatively short blades, producing spikes of very fuzzy looking, dense seed-heads.  This species was introduced from Europe, and is closely related to finger millet, as can be guessed from the rounded seeds and the short beard hairs that protect the spikes from birds.  It is too short, and lacks the deep roots to compete with native grasses, but readily colonizes disturbed ground or open soil.  The seeds are readily consumed by birds, if they can get to them without the beards poking them in the eyes.  The wide, soft green blades, and the fluffy seed heads make this grass a fun looking plant.

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Green Foxtail Grass habit; a medium height bunch grass with short, wide, soft green blades that produces fluffy spikes of round seeds that droop.

Note; tight bunches of stems produce a brush of bristly seed heads

Big Bluestem Grass

Big Bluestem Grass; Andropogon gerardi, a late season stem grass that sends up long, (around 24″ tall) jointed stems from a dense mat of short rhizomes, this grass seems to grow little until late summer.  Then it sends up many fast growing, jointed flower spikes that divide into four sprigs, each 3-4″ long, lined with tiny flower.  The leaves are narrow and of medium length, growing directly from rhizomes that creep so slowly the grass seems to be a bunch grass.  This grass does not give even coverage, resulting in a rough  surface, and seems dormant most of the summer.  It is the most noticeable grass on the PDU during Fall and early Winter, when it sends up flower spikes.  It is common in lawns and road sides, making it necessary to mow lawns even when other grasses have gone dormant.

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Big Bluestem habit; a bunchgrass growing from wide clumps dense with short rhizomes that sends up tall, jointed flower spikes during Fall and Winter.

Note; the flower spikes, which divide into 4 flower racimes, turn the prairies smoky grey during the Fall blooming season

Note; until it blooms, Bluestem is characterized by medium length blades of grass growing from tightly packed, short rhizomes.

Note; the jointed flower spikes, up to 24″ tall, divide into 4 flower sprigs 3-4″ long

Sand Bur

Sand Bur; Cenchrus pauciflorus. a creeping grass with a radial pattern, spreading out from a central clump of fibrous roots, notorious for its heads of sharply bristled seeds that stick in bare skin, and even puncture bicycle tires.  The jointed stems can take root wherever a node comes in contact with the ground, but pulling plants up at the central root mass usually eliminates them from any lawn.  Leaves are relatively short and broad, branching abruptly off of the stems that are 1/16″ to 1/8″ in diameter.  The plants seem harmless until mid summer, when they begin putting out flowers.  The short spikes of inconspicuous flowers quickly convert to dense columns of spiny seeds, and then the tears start.  Other than herbicides, the best way to get rid of Sand Burs is to pull them up by the roots, making sure to get all the rhizomes, creating a bur free zone.

Sand Bur habit; a sprawling, or creeping grass radiating out from a central root mass which produces spikes of very sharp, bristly seeds in mid summer.

Note; the darker green, creeping grass radiating out from a central root mass, marked by narrow, short leaves sheathing sprawling stems.

 

Pepper, Bush Pepper

Bush Pepper; Capsicum frutescens. The genus Capsicum has been divided into four species, each with multiple varieties. The best known species is C annum, which includes Bell Peppers and Jalapenio, is the most mild, ranging from 0-10,000 in terms of hotness.  Capsicum frutescens is a small, hot pepper hardy to North Texas, and one of the few pepper plants which is indigenous to the southern USA.  A medium height (less than 2’), pithy stemmed member of the tomato family that branches regularly in a rigid angular pattern from each node, with lance shaped leaves, somewhat clammy to the touch, so broad they are almost heart shaped.  Tiny white, forward pointing flowers, blooming in late summer, are born singly on stems that point upward, looking somewhat like White Nightshade flowers, except that they do not nod, and lack the prominent, yellow, fused anthers.  The fruit are tiny (3/8”) peppers which turn yellow, then red-orange when ripe. It has been rated at 30,000-70,000 in terms of Scoville hotness, (2,500,000 is the max).  Forested areas, or forest margins on SWk.  (907-908 Vines) 8/28/18; 19 not recrd;

Bush Pepper habit; a medium height, regionally perennial pepper with broadly lanceolate leaves on long, alternating stems, bearing solitary, white flowers that convert to small, oval peppers that are mildly hot

Note; leaves are mildly clammy, the smooth stems zig-zag, and the leaves are held in an alternating pattern within a single plain

Note; the small, white flowers are born singly from leaf axils, the peduncles pointing up, the five petals only slightly nodding.

Note; the 5 stamen are fused to the pistol, not held on free stamen

Note; oval, cherry like peppers are held aloft on short, upright stems

Yucca, Torrey Yucca

Torrey Yucca Yucca torreyi.  Rising from a fibrous corm, which divides both under the ground and above, this member of the Amaryllis family first forms a flattened, untidy rosette of narrow, fibrous, lance-like leaves, up to 12” long.  The pithy flower stem can grow very tall, branching to form a complex spray, unlike Y pallida, which remains as an unbranched spike, bearing flowers 2-4” across that, unusual for yucca, open fully and face outward, rather than drooping.  Each flower has 6 identical, elliptical petals arranged around a fleshy pistol, and 6 narrow stamen with a conspicuous, outward crook.  The narrow pods are more bean like than the peanut shaped pods of Y pallida.  Y torreyi is more common in drier parts of West Texas, but a few are attested in the ILC area.  Amerinds once used the fibrous leaves for cordage, after scraping the thin layer of pulp off, ate the corms and young flower stalks, and used to saponin laced corm to create a sudsing soap to bathe, or wash their hair in.  (55)  5/10/15-5/25/15; 5/1/18-5/20/18; 5/5/19; 5/1/20 – 5/15/20;

Torrey Yucca habit; growing from a thick, fibrous corm, from which sprout multiple trunk like stems, this yucca forms an untidy rosette of narrow, fibrous, lance like leaves which produce a thin, branching flower panicle bearing large, cream flowers that open fully

Note; Torrey’s Yucca is more slender and taller than Pale Yucca, and the fibrous leaves less tidy looking

Note; the large, cream flowers open fully, the 6 petals broader than the sepals, all surrounding a fleshy pistol and 6 slender stamen

Note; Torrey’s flowers are more slender, more upright, and open wider than Pale Yucca flowers

Yucca, Pale Yucca

Pale Yucca (Shiners Yucca, Soap Weed) Yucca pallida/arkansana/louisianensis/freemanii. Born from a thick, fibrous root or corm, this trunkless rosette of spine-like, grey-green leaves, 1’ or more long, often forms branching clumps.  A flower spike with prominent nodes, growing up to 5’ tall bears large, waxy, nodding, cream colored flowers, which rarely open completely.  6 identical, linear veined petals enfold a fleshy pistol with 6 thick, bent stamen.  Flowers are pollinated by sphinx moths, which lay their eggs on the pistol.  The infant larva eat most of the seeds, exiting the pods in their first molt.  Intolerant of shade, Yucca are found on open grassy or rocky areas, like power-lines or pastures.  The fibrous leaves were used as a source of cordage by Amerinds.  The thick roots contain saponins, which suds like soap, so Yucca are sometimes called ‘soap weed’.  The flower spikes can be eaten like asparagus when first growing. (57-66) 4/28/15-5/28/15; 4/25/16; 4/7/17-5/28/17; 5/1/18-5/26/18; 4/28/19; 5/5/20

Pale Yucca habit; rising from a corm like stem, a rosette of long, flat, grey-green, spike like leaves grows a flower spike with prominent nodes at regular intervals, bearing large, nodding, cream colored flowers

Note; nodding, waxy, cream colored flowers, each with 6 sepals and petals, that do not open fully, are arranged in an alternating spiral around the flower spike

Note; new seed capsules, which turn woody with age, have a figure 8 shape

Note; old seed capsules are dark grey, splitting along three sutures to release flattened seeds