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.
Buffalo Grass; Buchloe dactyloides; growing by tough stolons which take root at every node, and by seeds that are born at ground level, Buffalo Grass can form thick, dense mats of smooth grass where the surrounding vegetation is kept cut down. Locally it only grows 4-6″ tall, the short, narrow blades curling under when the weather is dry, it is able to withstand prolonged drought, even though it only has fine, fibrous, wiry roots. Root mats of Buffalo Grass were so dense sod houses were once made from prairie turf. It endures fire, intense grazing, and drought, but cannot stay inundated for long. It turns a dun or tan color with the first killing frost, so some do not find it appealing for lawns, but it is hardy, rarely needs mowed, and forms a smooth, even mat if given full sun and watered occasionally. Male flowers are born on short, filamentous shafts, all the tiny white flowers pointing the same direction, making the dense spikes look feathered, or lopsided. Female flowers are carried at nearly ground level in sparse, but dense clusters, protecting the burr like seeds from being burnt or eaten by grazers like cattle or Buffalo. Buffalo Grass is common on mowed surfaces that are not watered heavily, and abundant on the paths across open land, where the taller vegetation is mowed down, but it does not spread quickly, making propagation slow if mowed land is not seeded.
Buffalo Grass habit; a low growing, spreading grass of open areas that forms dense mats of closely spaced clumps sprouting from tough rhizomes or stolons, and bears short spikes of tiny white flowers
Note; all the male flowers, carried above the leaf blades point the same direction, the seed forming female flowers budding at ground level
Note; Buffalo Grass can form wide, dense mats of short, hardy turf where taller vegetation is kept cut back
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
Mistletoe; Christmas/American Mistletoe Phoradendron flavescens Nutt;. There are dozens of varieties of mistletoe, in some cases one specific mistletoe parasitizing only one specific species of tree, or type of tree. The most common mistletoe in central Texas, with a number of distinct varieties, P flavescens afflicts a range of plants, especially Cedar Elm and Hackberry. Mesquite and cedars, and to a lesser degree, oaks are immune from this particular mistletoe, as they have their own. Green all year long, mistletoe provides green foliage in the winter, producing translucent, white, round berries born in whorls on stems that rise from leaf axils. The thick, leathery, oblong leaves arranged in opposite pairs, range from dark green to yellowish green, giving it its descriptive Latin species name, flava “yellow”. Mistletoe are powerful abortatives in cattle, and are generally considered poisonous, though symptoms in humans are mostly stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, etc. Passing through the digestive tracts of certain song-birds, Mistletoe sprouts from seeds, wrapped in a sticky coating which land on a branch, then drives wedge-like spikes through the bark and into the wood of its host tree. Intercepting plant juices and eventually taking over the branch it is on, it can kill the part further away from the trunk. Pruning infected branches off is the most effective mechanical way of keeping mistletoe out of trees, for even if the brittle mistletoe twigs are snapped off they will grow back from the infection site. 17 not recrd; 18 no obs; 19 not recrd;
Note; an infestation of mistletoe makes a winter dormant Cedar Elm look green
Note; clumps of evergreen mistletoe.
Christmas Mistletoe habit; clumps of thick, oval leaves hanging from mature branches of trees, mostly Elm, Hackberry and Osage Orange, evergreen, with small white berries
Note; thick, oval leaves born in opposite pairs, each pair rotating 90 degrees, stay green all winter long
Note; small, round, white berries eaten by birds, bud in whorls from leaf axils, the seeds sticking to branches they fall on when expelled from birds that eat them
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
Greenbriar; Bristly Greenbriar Smilax hispida Muhl;. This stout, woody, light green to black, spiny, climbing vine sprouts from a thick rhizome barely under the ground, growing rapidly into the branches of surrounding bushes and trees. The woody stems do not divide until they reach up into the canopies of trees, where they branch readily. The small stems of branches are brittle, breaking easily. The main stems, up to ½” thick, are densely covered in long, thin, black spines up to ½” long. Large, light green bright leaves are striped with 5 longitudinal ribs, alternating around the stem, while curly tendrils growing opposite each leaf fasten the vine to branches. New shoots are tender and can be eaten raw or grilled, like asparagus but are slimier than S bona. This Greenbriar is abundant in thin soils over chalky limestone, but prefers deeper soils in ravines and near water drainages. Umbels of small white flowers bud from new leaf nodes on a long peduncle, each head of small 5 petal flowers transforming into clusters of black berries. Spanish speakers grilled the new shoots, calling them zarza parilla, “grilled bramble”, which English speakers transphonologized as “sarsaparilla”. (73-74) 4/13/15-4/20/15; 4/1/16; 4/15/17; 4/15/18; 19 no obs; 3/28/20;
Bristly Greenbiar habit, a stout, woody vine with long, straight black thorns and large oval leaves with 5 parallel veins alternating along stems, which bears umbels of small, white flowers, converting to black berries in late summer.
Note; dense coating of long, straight black thorns along thick stems
Note; large glossy green leaves with 5 parallel veins, which form an alternating spiral around the stems
Note; tendrils budding opposite each leaf secure the vine to surrounding stems
Note; umbels of small green flowers, each with 5 petals, bud from the axils of new leaves
Note; umbels of green flowers convert to clusters of black, juicy, fall berries
Creeper; Virginia Creeper/Five Fingered Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia L; This ivy-like, deciduous vine crosses the forest floor in runners searching for tree trunks to climb in order to get its leaves to sunlight. The vigorous growth drapes trees in dense mats of leaves, threatening to suffocate them. It attaches itself to trunks, or brickwork with short clinging roots which grow directly from the vine, artificially resembling Poison Ivy. The five, elongated “fingers” of the hand shaped leaves are soft and a lustrous light green with a coarsely toothed edge. Blooming only irregularly, axillary panicles of tiny, green flowers produce loose clusters of greyish-blue to black, juicy berries eaten by birds. Although they are not poison, they should be eaten only in moderation. Common in all forests, it prefers shade, turning bronzed when in the full sun of open spaces or yards. (711-712) 17 no obs; 4/25/18; 19 no obs; 20 no obs;
Virginia Creeper habit; a liana like plant with 5 fingered palmate leaves that sends runners across the forest floor, searching for trunks to climb
Note; short clinging roots attach the soft liana directly to tree trunks.
Note; large, palmate leaves with 5 spatula shaped leaflets that have coarsely toothed margins, born alternately along the vining stems
Note; loose racemes of small greenish flowers produce juicy, greyish-blue to black berries. (no pix)
Note; clinging roots anchor the liana to the trunks of trees.
Note: Fall colors red
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
Ash; Hercules-Club Prickly-Ash (Toothache Tree) Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L;. A small understory tree with sharp thorns on young stems, which become corky protuberances with age. The deciduous, pinnate leaves have twin spines between each pair of leaflets. The odd number of leaflets (one terminal leaflet) each have a finely toothed margin, which produce a strong, lemony smell when crushed, and a stinging or burning sensation when chewed. Chewing the leaves temporarily numbs the tongue and relieves toothache, earning it the nickname “Toothache Tree”. Small clusters of white flowers form from tips of new growth each year, producing green berries which turn dark when ripe. The white wood is soft, and rots quickly. (594-595) 4/28/15-5/15/15, 17 no obs; 4/25/18; 19 not recrd; 20 no obs;
Prickly Ash habit; a deciduous understory tree with compound, with alternating leaves along new stems, each pair of leaflets guarded by a pair of sharp thorns. Thorns on the trunk reduced to corky knobs, clumps of small green flowers budding from new growth.
Note; sharp spines on young stems, which turn to corky protuberances with age
Note; twin sharp spines between pairs of leaflets of compound leaves
Note; leaflets have a finely serrated margin, and a sharp, spicy smell and taste when crushed or chewed,
Note; chewing the leaves numbs the mouth and tongue, earning it the moniker “toothache” bush
Note; white flowers (April) from leaf nodes
Trail Trotter's Flower Guide 