Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 175
[610] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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PLANT LIFE REGIONS
The most noteworthy of Texas wild flow ers
is the legally adopted state flower (by act of
Legislature, March 7, 1901), the bluebonnet
(Lupinus texensis), also known as buffalo
clover, wolf flower and el coneJo, an annual
which grows on the limestone hillsides in
North Central, Central and Southwest Texas.
(See p. 114.) It blooms in erect clusters of
blue, bonnet-shaped flowers splotched with
red or white on the upper petals. A slightly
different species, Lupinus subcarnosus, grows
on the sandy areas of Central Texas. It is
also considered as the state flower since the
distinction between the two was not consid-
ered at time of the adoption of the resolution
by the Legislature.
Roadside Beauty.
Among the flowers that are likely to attract
the attention of the highway traveler is the
Texas mountain laurel, also known as mescal
bean, and frijolito (Sophora secundiflora), a
shrub with a blue flower of the autumn sea-
son which is found on the limestone hills of
Central and Southwestern Texas. The wild
verbena (Verbena bipinnatifida) is found
from spring until fall over large areas, also
the pink evening primrose or buttercup (Hart-
mannia tetraptera) in the prairie regions, the
Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) and the
Indian paint brush (Castilleja indivisa) One
of the most famous of Texas wild flowers is
the Drummond's phlox)t (Phlox drummondil),
a showy, brilliant red annual of South Cen-
tral and Southeast Texas. This flower was
first discovered in Texas by the Scot botanist,
Thomas Drummond, who visited the state in
1833-34, collected the seeds and propagated
and distributed this variety of phlox. It is
now a familiar garden flower In many parts
of the world. Another Texas wild flower
discovered and classified by Drummond is the
coreopsis or golden wave (Coreopsis drum-
mondil) of South Texas, a yellow and brown
flower having kinflowers of several species in
Central, North and West Texas.
Flowering Shrubs.
There are many beautiful flowering shrubs,
of which the redbud (Cercis reniformis),
growing on the hills of Central and West
Texas, is the best known. Its brilliant pink
and red flowers appear early in spring in
amazing profusion. The mimosa (Mimosa
borealis) and several members of the acacia
family, the huisache (Acacia farneslana), the
catclaw (Acacia greggil) and others are found
principally in West and Southwest Texas
Many of these flowers, notably the catclaw
and the huajillo of Southwest Texas, furnish
honey for the bee industry of the state.
Among the most beautiful flowers of the
state are the flowering shrubs and trees of
the East Texas Forest Belt, notably the dog-
wood (Cornus florida) with its great white
clusters, and the magnolia (Magnolia grandi-
flora) of the East Texas bottom lands with
its big, heavily scented white blossoms.
Desert Flowers.
The arid regions of the extreme western
part of the state contribute some of thestate's most beautiful flowers The maguey
or century plant (Agave havardiana) is noted
for its flowers, occurring at Intervals of a
number of years, consisting of candelabrum-
like clusters of yellow blossoms. The similar
lechuguilla (Agave lecheguilla) produces a
beautiful blossom. The yucca (Yucca radi-
osa), also known as bear grass, palmillo and
soapweed, grows over a wide area of subhu-
mid. semiarid and arid Texas, bearing beau-
tiful white blossoms in white clusters on a
tall stalk. The kindred Spanish dagger or
bayonet (Yucca treculeana) also grows over
a wide range. Still another flowering plant
of the western regions is the sotol (Dasyllrion
texanum).
ARID-LAND VEGETATION
The yucca, ocotllo, lechuguilla, guayule,
maguey, creosote bush and other desert vege-
tation are found on the Diablo Plateau, in the
Big Bend and other parts of Trans-Pecos
Texas.
An interesting Texas plant of possible fu-
ture commercial value is the shrub, guayule
(Parthenium argentatum), found in the Big
Bend area of the Trans-Pecos. It is a rubber-
producing plant, indigenous to a wide area of
Mexico. Small quantities of rubber have been
produced from the Big Bend native guayule
Another interesting shrub of the Big Bend
is the candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica).
from which there has been production at
times of candelilla wax, used in some proc-
esses of polish, paint and insulation material
manufacture.
Cacti.
Several hundred species of cacti are indige-
nous to Texas, covering a wide range from
the western edge of the East Texas Forest
Belt to the western boundaries. Region of
most prolific growth is along the Mexican
border and in the Trans-Pecos, though cacti
are found generally throughout West Texas,
on the Staked Plains and throughout the Mid-
dle Western Texas sections in considerable
numbers.
Cacti in Texas may generally be classified
relative to size and form as follows (a) Col-
umnar, one to six feet in height; (b) colum-
nar, branching at the base or clusters, less
than one foot high; (c) globose, one to three
feet in diameter, (d) globose, one to twelve
or more inches in diameter, (e) Opuntias
(commonly designated as "prickly pears") of
tall, medium and low or decumbent forms.
and (f) climbing or clambering forms, shrubs
and small tree types.
Texas' cacti have a wide range in size and
color of blossoms. The blooming period,
according to the species, ranges from early
spring to late fall. From minute blossoms of
less than one-quarter inch in diameter to
giant ones, often measuring up to seven or
more inches in diameter, these unusual flow-
ers represent all colors of the spectrum
Blossoms of some species have a life of less
than three hours, while some retain their
beauty for from one to five consecutive days
and for even longer periods.I
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Texas Almanac, 1947-1948, book, 1947; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117136/m1/177/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.