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.
Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia. A thicket forming, twiggy bush which has sharp thorns along the branches, this fruit tree is common on open land along water courses and road sides. Blooming later than P umbellate, which produces umbels of flowers on the ends of stems, Chickasaw Plum produces white flowers along the full length of stems, making a display of total white “bottle brushes”. The ½” fruit begins green, turns red, then yellow when it is ripe. The leaves are soft and serrated along the edges, but longer and thinner than P umbellate. Like other members of the cherry and plum family, the leaves are toxic to livestock and rabbits. Each individual, sweetly fragrant flower is composed of 5 oval petals surrounding a central pistol with many filamentous stamen. Known clumps are most prevalent under the power lines along the DORBA trails. (401) 3/21/19; 20 no obs;
3/21/19
Note: Chickasaw Plum blooming with masses of fragrant, white flowers from nodes along entire stems
Note; thicket forming habit of Chickasaw Plum
Note; dense masses of blooms along entire stems
Note; leaf bearing twigs can form into long, sharp thorns along the small, twiggy trunks.
Peach; Peach Tree Prunus persica;. Peaches originated in the “Mediterranean” climate of western China and eastern Persia, as the scientific name persica indicates. Wild Peaches will sometimes grow from pits of hybrid peaches, but otherwise they do not naturally propagate in this area. Called “clings”, the flesh clings to the seeds of wild peaches, rather than separating easily, as commercial hybrids do. However, the flowers and leaves look similar. Trees have smooth to scaly bark, and the long limbs tend to droop when laden with fruit, or sometimes even split apart from the trunk. The leaves are slightly folded, long and narrow, with very short petioles, with a pronounced drip-tip, and are born alternately along stems. Flowers form before new growth emerges, budding from leaf scars on last year’s stems. Dark red bud sepals open, allowing the five showy, pink petals to unfold, which like other members of the Rosacea family, sport a dome of filamentous stamen, each tipped with an anther, surrounding a central pistol. Fruit are hairy, scored by a central cleft, and have one hard, flattened pit with a convoluted surface. The sweet fruit are eaten by birds and wasps alike if left on trees too long. Like Almonds, the seed inside is laced with cyanide, making them taste bitter, and potentially poison if too many are eaten. (406-407) 3/5/16; 2/25/17 – 3/15/17; 18 no obs (drupe 5/24/18); 2/28/19 – 3/23/19 (drupe 6/22/19); 2/18/20 – 3/15/20 (drupe 6/12/20);
Peach habit; a readily branching, short tree with smooth to scaly bark.
Note; large, showy five petal, pink flowers with multiple filamentous stamen.
Note; flowers convert to fleshy drupe scored by a cleft, with a flattened, rough seed inside.
Note; alternating, narrow, deciduous, elongated leaves with finely serrated, slightly undulating margins partly obscure fruit
Note; the large fruit on short stems, bud directly from nodes along last years growth. hard, and reddish, and covered with fine fuzz, peaches will ripen and turn soft if picked when fully grown.
Plum; Flatwoods Plum Prunus umbellate Ell;. Southern forests host many variable, similar scraggly, deciduous, understory plums with distinctive, dark scaly bark and twigs that end in a sharp, hard thorn. Oval shaped leaves with a finely serrated margin and prominent drip-tip, alternate along short stems, which become a sharp thorn when the leaves drop. Plums are the first fruit trees to flower in the spring (late Feb to early March), umbels of fragrant, white blossoms ½ – ¾” across (no pix) budding from last year’s twigs before new leaves develop. Each flower is composed of 5 oval petals surrounding a central pistol and a dome of filamentous stamen. Early blooms risk late frosts or ice-storms, in which case the tree may produce a second, smaller bloom. The small ( ½ – ¾ ”), light purple, pulpy fruit, ripening between June and July, are somewhat dry and tart, but are sweet enough to be eaten. The pit is round and flattened. The wood is a dark brown with slightly darker striations. It is common on shallow lime-stone soil, but grows well in deeper, moist bottom lands too. Also known locally as Chickasaw Plum. (401) 3/5 – 27/15; 2/22/16 – 3/14/16 (fruit 6/15/16); 2/18/17 – 3/15/17; 3/6/18 – 3/20/18; 2/18/20 – 3/10/20;
Note; umbels of white fragrant flowers with multiple stamen budding from leaf nodes on last year’s twigs
Flatwoods Plum habit; a slightly scraggly understory tree with distinctive, scaly bark and long, woody thorns, bearing soft, alternating, oval leaves with finely serrated margins, producing umbels of fragrant, white flowers composed of 5 petals arranged around a dome of stamen.
Note; the scaly bark is nearly black in color, mottled with dark grey
Note; younger stems have smooth, light grey bark which peels away revealing a mahogany color
Note; the alternating leaves are an elliptical oval with a finely serrated margin and a prominent drip tip.
Note; Flatwood Plum bear flowers in loose clusters
Oak; Texas Red Oak Quercus texana Buckl; Most of Texas is too dry for the straight Northern Red Oak preferred by home-owners, and the sun is so intense it can sunburn its smooth bark. Locally, Texas Oak takes the place of Red Oak, both in terms of the color of its wood, the shape of its acorns, and the shape of its leaves. The deeply cut lobes of deciduous Texas Red Oak leaves, like the Red Oak, end in sharp points, but it grows from a heavy bulbous base (a drought tolerant feature), supporting multiple trunks, and its black, corky, ridged bark protects it from the sun. The tree is subject to viral wilt which kills trunks of stressed trees at about 4’, turning their heart wood to mush. New trunks sprout from the base, and new shoots grow from trunks, giving the tree a “shabby” look, but eventually the tree dies. Texas Red Oak reproduces via catkins of tiny flowers, which convert into clusters of blunted, egg-shaped, light brown held in a shallow, nearly flat cap. Catkins bud from the tips of last year’s stems, just before new growth begins to bud in. Tiny wasps lay eggs between the layers of Q. texana leaves, which the tree surrounds, with a hard, seed-like coating, suspending it in white fibers, producing a green. The local name “Red” Oak comes from the reddish color of the highly desired, straight grained, heart-wood, which has a peculiar, though not unpleasant, sour smell when freshly split. Acorn weevils drill pin-prick holes in the light brown acorns, and the grubs eat out the nut, emerging through holes the size of pencil lead, drilling into the soil where they finish molting. Drilled acorns are filled with black crud and are not viable. (192-193) 4/1/15; 2/23/16; 3/8/17-3/20/17; 3/18/18; 3/20/19-4/1/19; 3/5/20 – 3/28/20;
Texas Red Oak habit; a deciduous, crown tree that often has multiple trunks rising from a bulbous base, sometimes with new suckers sprouting from it, bearing pinnate leaves cut by deep sinuses, each lobe with a sharp tip, and producing egg-shaped, brown acorns
Note; black, corky, deeply furrowed bark that gives Texas Oak protection from the sun and drought.
Note; the bulbous base shared by multiple trunks, which readily sprouts new shoots
Note; alternating, pinnate leaves cut by deep, rounded sinuses, each lobe with a sharp point
Note; brown, oval, egg shaped acorns lacking a sharp, terminal spike, with an exit hole from an Acorn Weevil larva
Note; warty, green leaf galls caused by a tiny wasp that lays an egg between the layers of the leaf, filled with white filaments that support a hard core.
Note; leaves turn dark red in the fall
Laurel; Mountain Laurel/Mescal-Bean Sophora Sophora secundiflora Lag; A stout, slow growing evergreen with leathery, pinnate leaves, each opposite leaflet a rough oval, native to Texas Hill Country. Since it prefers limestone outcroppings, it does well enough here, though it has to be watered initially. Spring growth produces a terminal spike, which blooms next year. The large (6-10”) terminal clusters of showy, violet to pink flowers have a strong fragrance some might call pungent, each ½” flower opening in quick succession till the whole spike is full. The thick brownish seed pods contain brick-red seeds about ½” in diameter, used as beads by some Amerindians, thus it has also been called coral-bean. The seeds contain a volatile alkaloid sophorine (mescal), which some Amerinds ground to powder and mixed in small portions with the Peyote Cactus, to make a narcotic that induced intoxication, delirium and a long sleep. Thus, an alternative name for S secundiflora is “big-drunk bean”. Otherwise the seeds are poison. Black and grey tent caterpillars eat both the new leaves and flower spikes, so must be pulled off to ensure the plant blooms next year. (568-569) 3/15/16 – 3/25/16; 3/20/17 – 4/1/17; 3/20/18 – 3/30/18; 4/16/19; 3/10/20 – 4/3/20;
Note; bright brick red berries in light grey seed pods
Mountain Laurel habit; a slow growing, evergreen shrub with pinnate leaves bearing panicles of bright blue, fragrant flowers that convert to pods of large orange-red seeds
Note; leathery, spatula shaped, evergreen leaves, red to orange seeds and grey, bean like pods
Note; glossy green, leathery, evergreen, opposite, oval leaflets on compound leaves
Laurel; Cherry Laurel Prunus caroliniana Mill;. This attractive, tall, slender, slow growing, hard, understory evergreen, with smooth, dark gray trunks is often grown as an ornamental for its shrubbery. Alternating, attractive leaves are small (2-3”) which have a slightly undulating edge often have small, soft, spike like projections along the margins, are dark glossy green above and dull light green on the underside. Spikes of small white flowers emerge from the leaf axils of last year’s growth, each composed of 5 miniscule petals arranged around a central corolla formed by small anthers. Flower spikes convert to hanging racemes of black berries about ¼” across, with thin greenish flesh surrounding a single hard pit. P caroliniana grows in clumps, or dense groves, for it spreads as easily from the roots as by seed, making attractive, maintenance-free, groves or tall hedges. Cherry Laurel prefers dense shade, but will bush out more if planted in brighter light. Its bitter leaves contain prussic acid, which is poison to livestock, but a number of birds eat the fruit. Leaves of young plants are often larger, and look more spiny. (387-388) 3/23-4/10/15; 3/10/16; 2/16/17 – 3/15/17; 3/15/18-3/25/18; 3/26/19; 3/6/20 – 3/20/20;
Cherry Laurel habit; tall slender under-story evergreen tree with smooth bark,alternating leaves with undulating margins, and small spikes of white flowers that convert to blue-black berries
Note; the alternating, glossy green leaves with spike like projections along the undulating margins are glossy green on the upper surface, and light green on the undersides
Note; leaves are bitter due to levels of prussic acid toxic to livestock,
Note; spikes of tiny white flowers that bud from axils of this year’s leaves, the pistol and corolla of 5 stamen protruding beyond the tiny petals.
Note; Purple-black fruit with a thin layer of green meat around a single, hard pit
Hop-Tree; Common Hop-Tree Ptelea trifoliata L (Stinking/Wafer Ash); Ptelea is derived from the Greek for ‘wing’, referring to the winged seeds of Elm, Ash and Hop trees. A small, variable, deciduous shrub with reddish stems that become warty and dark grey with age, and alternating trifoliate leaves divided into three elliptical leaflets. Clusters of small (3/16”), white, intensely fragrant, short lived flowers, each with 4 petals and 4 yellow anthers, are born in dense panicles budding from the ends of new growth. “Leaves-of-three, leave them be”, usually warns against Poison Ivy, but the Common Hop leaves are smooth and elliptical, and wider toward the ends (spatulate), with no serration along the edge, and although strong smelling when disturbed, are harmless. Trifoliata (three leaves) describes the foliage pattern, earning the plant comparison to Texas Ash, so it is sometimes called ‘Stinking Ash’, for its smell, or ‘wafer Ash’ for the seed shape. Seeds are suspended in a circular wing, called a samara. The seeds float and drift, or tumble, rather than spinning, like the samara of Elm and Ash. The root is pungent and bitter when cut or chewed. ( 591-593) 4/13/15-5/14/15 Samara; 4/13/16; 17 no observation; 4/25/18; 3/25/19-5/4/19; 4/15/20 (samara 5/25/20);
Common Hop Tree habit; an understory shrub with corky grey trunks, reddish stems, and alternating leaves in sets of three which bears fragrant flowers that convert to oval shaped samara.
Note; leaves of three with smooth margins, the central leaflet wider toward the end, born in an alternating spiral around new stems
Note; terminal panicles of small, intensely fragrant, short lived, 4 petal flowers, with yellow anthers
Note; oval samara, seeds within filamentous ‘wings’ which completely surround the seeds, (unlike Elm and Ash samara, which have a wing on one side only, causing them to whirl like a helicopter)
Cypress; Common Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum;. This tall, thin conifer is unusual in that it is deciduous, the tiny, flat needles turning red-brown and falling off in the Fall. Thus this Cyprus becomes “bald”, sprouting leaves again in the spring. The smooth, slightly flaking bark is grey, new under-bark an attractive cinnamon reddish-brown. Intolerant of prolonged drought, Cyprus are uncommon locally except as a tree in yards or medians, where they get watered regularly. A few grow wild in drainage areas where there is near constant runoff, otherwise they are ironically more common in the drier West Texas, along near permanent streams. The base of the tree fans out at ground level as buttress roots spread in each direction, an adaptation to swampy soil. The famous ‘knees’ form only where roots are underwater much of the year. The fruit like cones are globular, anywhere from ½ to 1” in diameter, the scales lifting to release twin seeds. The wood is soft and white, with only a mild aroma, and very little visible grain. (13-14)
Common Bald Cyprus habit; a tall, straight, deciduous conifer with shaggy, flaking, cinnamon bark, that turns grey with age, which bears globular cones
Note; the flaky or scaly cinnamon bark which turns grey with age, lines straight trunks that lack major branches till the canopy
Note; frond like leaves, twigs lined with tiny, thin, flat, deciduous leaves, shed in the fall, growing again every spring
Note; the globe shaped cones, the scales protecting twin seeds lifting to release them
Trail Trotter's Flower Guide 