Chapter I: Preface (1)

For more than a century the wild flowers of Texas have been a source of study and pleasure to scientists and flower lovers. The state can boast of a varied and interesting flora which has attracted numerous plant collectors since the first specimens were collected in the Texas Panhandle by Dr. Edwin James, naturalist accompanying the Long Expedition in 1820. Dr. Louis Berlandier, a French botanist, endured the hardships of the Teran Expedition for the exploration of the boundary region between Texas and Mexico between 1826 and 1834 in order to collect plants in Texas.

Berlandier’s first collection was instrumental, a few years later, in arousing the interest of Thomas Drummond, a Scotch botanist and collector. In 1833-34 Drummond visited Southeast Texas and collected 700 species of plants. In 1836, Ferdinand Lindheimer, a German botanist, moved to Texas and began his noteworthy study and collection of Texas plants. Charles Wright, a Yale graduate, came to Texas in 1837, first collecting plants in East Texas and later making important additions in Southwest Texas. Since the work of these early pioneers, many scientists have visited nearly all parts of the state and have added many new names to the list of native plants.

Today nearly five thousand species of flowering plants have been reported from the state. About half of these have showy, conspicuous flowers, and many of them are very limited in their distribution in Texas. If the reader will keep these figures in mind, perhaps he will not be disappointed at not finding some of his favorite flowers in the following pages. As such a limited number could be included, it was thought best to use those widely distributed throughout the state, omitting some of the well-known plants which have been frequently illustrated in previous publications.

The present manual is not intended as a guide to the flora of the state, but it is hoped that it will prove helpful in identifying some of the common flowers. A few rare and beautiful flowers have been included so that they may be recognized and protected. In order to include representatives of the more important plant families, it was impossible because of lack of space to add many widely distributed members of other families represented. For example, the pea family, which has about 300 showy members in Texas, had to be limited to ten representatives.

The water color paintings on which the manual is based were made by the author. In nearly all cases they were made from fresh specimens carefully checked with verified material in the University of Texas Herbarium; a few which could not be painted at the time of collecting were later drawn from pressed specimens and colored from notes and memory.

The flowers of Texas have been so very abundant that only recently has it been considered necessary to protect them. The Legislature of 1933 passed a law forbidding the picking of flowers and injury to trees and shrubs along highways. Even this protection is not sufficient for some plants. A few years ago the writer happened to visit the shop of a cactus fancier just after he had returned from a collecting trip and saw with amazement the large tow-sacks filled with rare and highly prized cacti. Wagon loads of the large and vivid-blooming ribbed cacti have been observed as they were brought in for market. The bluebell, or purple gentian, is in need of protection since florists have been buying them up in such large quantities. The picturesque bunches of sotol are being rapidly destroyed, as ranchmen are stripping them of their saw-toothed leaves and feeding the stalks to their cattle. Yaupon and American holly, both slow-growing plants, are being destroyed to supply the market with Christmas greens.

A few flower sanctuaries have been established in recent years, but many others are needed. The decrease in our native flowers is primarily due to increase in population with the accompanying increases in homesteads and acres in cultivation, over-grazing, and improved facilities of travel. The limestone hill region was formerly a flower paradise but has been so heavily over-grazed by sheep in recent years that now the only flowers to be found are the unattractive rabbit-tobacco, horehound, and queen’s delight, or goatweed, so called because sheep and goats will not eat it.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the many friends who have assisted me in the preparation of this volume. I deeply regret that it has been necessary to increase the list price of this edition. The first edition of three thousand copies did not pay for the cost of publication. That deficit, added to the increased costs of printing and paper, have made an increase imperative.

_September 1, 1948_
Eula Whitehouse

CONTENTS

PAGE
_Texas Wildflowers_ v
Preface vii
Reference Books on Texas Flowers xi
Plant Parts and Plant Names xiii
Plant Distribution xvi
Description of Plants 2
Finding Lists 194
Index 204

REFERENCE BOOKS ON TEXAS FLOWERS

For more detailed descriptions, description of other plants, flower uses, and flower legends and history, the following books will prove helpful:

Bailey, L. H., _The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture_.
Benson, L. and Darrow, R. A., _A Manual of Southwestern Desert Trees
and Shrubs_.
Britton, N. L. and Brown, H. A., _An Illustrated Flora of the Northern
United States, Canada and the British Possessions_.
Cory, V. L. and Parks, H. B., _Catalogue of the Flora of Texas_.
Coulter, John M., _Cop. Botany of Western Texas_ (_U. S. Nat. Herb.
Contr._, 1892, out of print).
Dorman, Caroline E., _Wild Flowers of Louisiana_.
Fassett, N. C., _A Manual of Aquatic Plants_.
Geiser, S. W., _Naturalists of the Frontier_. Southwest Press, Dallas.
Jaeger, E. C., _Desert Wild Flowers_.
Kearney, T. H. and Peebles, R. H., _Flowering Plants and Ferns of
Arizona_.
Parks, H. B., _Valuable Plants Native to Texas_.
Preston, R. J., _Rocky Mountain Trees_.
Quillan, Ellen Schulz, _Texas Wild Flowers_.
Ranson, Nancy R., _Texas Wild Flower Legends_.
Reeves, R. G., and Bain, D. C., _Flora of South-Central Texas_.
Rydberg, P. A., _Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central N. A._
(out of print).
Silveus, W. A., _Texas Grasses_.
Slater, Elsie M., _A Hundred Flowers of the Mexican Border at El
Paso_.
Small, John K., _Flora of the Southeastern United States_, out of
print; _Manual of the Southeastern Flora_.
Standley, P. C., _Trees and Shrubs of Mexico_ (U. S. Nat Herb. Contr.,
19—, out of print).
Stemen, T. B. and Myers, W. S., _Oklahoma Flora_.
Wooton, E. O. and Standley, P. C., _Flora of New Mexico_ (U. S. Nat.
Herb. Contr. Vol. 19, out of print).

COROLLA LOBES SEPARATE
STIGMA
STAMEN
PETAL
SEPAL
FLOWER-STALK (PEDUNCLE)
COROLLA LOBES UNITED
COROLLA LOBE
STAMEN
ANTHER (POLLEN-SAC)
FILAMENT
SEPAL
PISTIL
STIGMA
STYLE
OVARY
CALYX-TUBE
SEED
STIGMA
STAMEN
SEPAL
CALYX-TUBE
CAPSULE
BELL-SHAPE
CALYX-TUBE
TUBULAR
FUNNEL FORM
COMPOSITE FLOWER HEADS
INVOLUCRE
STIGMA
STYLE
STAMEN TUBE
DISK COROLLA
RAY COROLLA
DISK
FRUIT
BRACT (FLORAL LEAF)
FLORAL LEAF (BRACT)
LEAF BLADE
MIDRIB
LEAF-STALK (PETIOLE)
IRREGULAR LOBES
FRUIT OF COMPOSITE (ACHENE)
BRISTLES (PAPPUS)
SEED
SIMPLE LEAVES
LINEAR
LANCE-SHAPE
OBLONG
LANCE-OBLONG
OVATE
COMPOUND LEAVES
ONCE-DIVIDED
PALMATE or DIGITATE
SHARPLY TOOTHED
LEAFLETS
LEAF-STALK (PETIOLE)
STEM
PINNATE
TWICE-DIVIDED
LEAFLET
LEAF-STALK

PLANT PARTS AND PLANT NAMES

The diagram on the opposite page carries illustrations of most of the terms used in the following descriptions of plants. As it was intended that this manual should serve as a means of plant identification from illustrations, the descriptions have been made very brief. If the reader is interested in a more detailed description, technical books should be consulted. Some botanical terms are rather loosely used in the effort to avoid technical expressions; for example, the fruit of a daisy flower is known popularly as a seed but is an achene, a seed closely covered by the wall of the ovary.

The conspicuous parts of the flower commonly make up the corolla, each part being known as a petal; however, in some flowers the showy part is actually the calyx, as the outer whorl of parts around the stamens and pistil is always called. The divisions of the calyx are known as sepals. The stamens are made up of two parts—the anthers or small sacs which bear the pollen grains, a necessary part to fertilization, and the filaments or stalks which elevate the anthers so that the pollen grains can be scattered. The ovules which develop into seeds after fertilization are borne in the ovary, a part of the pistil. The pollen is deposited on the stigma and carried down the style to the ovule. Showy flower parts, nectar, and other devices attract insect visitors which aid in the transfer of pollen from one flower to another.

In order that botanists everywhere may make use of plant names and descriptions, these are written in Latin. The Latin name of the bluebonnet is _Lupinus texensis_, in which _texensis_ represents the name of a species and _Lupinus_ is the name of a genus, which is a group of closely related species. The plants making up the different species in a genus are usually so much alike in flower, fruit, and leaf characters that they can be recognized as belonging to the same group. Similar genera (plural of genus) are grouped together in families; the family name in Latin takes the ending -_aceae_. Thus while this book illustrates only 257 Texas plants, it is hoped that the reader will become familiar with many others which bear a close relationship.

Much effort has been expended to use scientific terminology in accordance with that preferred by experts on various plant groups, but continuing research changes many well known names. In this list the name used in the text is followed by the name now in good usage; the terms are not always synonymous. The authorities for the names are not given but can be checked in technical publications.

Aesculaceae
Hippocastanaceae
Allionia grayana
Mirabilis grayana
Amphiachyris dracunculoides
Gutierrezia dracunculoides
Argemone rosea
Argemone sanguinea
Argemone delicatula
Argemone pinnatifida
Asclepiodora decumbens
Asclepias capricornu
Baptisia bracteata
Baptisia leucophaea
Batodendron arboreum
Vaccinium arboreum
Capnoides montanum
Corydalis aurea
Capnoides curvisiliquum
Corydalis curvisiliqua
Carduus austrinus
Cirsium sp.
Carduus undulatus
Cirsium undulatum megacephalum
Cassiaceae
Leguninosae
Cebatha carolina
Cocculus carolinus
Cercis reniormis
Cercis canadensis texensis
Cochranea anchusaefolia
Heliotropium amplexicaule
Conoclinium coelestinum
Eupatorium coelestinum
Delphinium albescens
Delphinium virescens
Dendropogon usneoides
Tillandsia usneoides
Dichondraceae
Convolvulaceae
Dracopis amplexicaulis
Rudbeckia amplexicaulis
Epilobiaceae
Onagraceae
Erythraea
Centaurium
Fabaceae
Leguminosae
Filago prolifera
Evax prolifera
Filago nivea
Evax multicaulis
Geoprumnon mexicanum
Astragalus caryocarpus pachycarpus
Greggia camporum
Nerisyrenia camporum
Hamosa nuttalliana
Astragalus Nuttallianus
Hartmannia tetraptera
Oenothera speciosa
Hypoxis erecta
Hypoxis hirsuta
Ibidium gracile
Spiranthes gracilis
Jussiaea diffusa
Jussiaea repens
Keerlia bellidiflora
Chaetopappa bellidifolia
Krameriaceae
Leguminosae
Laciniaria punctata
Liatris punctata
Lepidium alyssoides
Lepidium montanum alyssoides
Leptoglottis uncinata
Schrankia Nuttallii
Leucophyllum texanum
Leucophyllum frutescens
Limodorum tuberosum
Calopogon pulchellus
Lithospermum linearifolium
Lithospermum incisum
Lithospermum gmelinii
Lithospermum carolinense
Megapterium missouriense
Oenothera missouriensis
Meriolix spinulosa
Oenothera serrulata Drummondii
Mimosaceae
Leguminosae
Nemastylis acuta
Nemastylis geminiflora
Nama ovatum
Hydrolea ovata
Nemastylis texana
Nemastylis sp.
Neopieris mariana
Lyonia mariana
Nuphar advena
Nuphar advenum
Oxytropis lamberti
Astragalus Lambertii
Parosela aurea
Dalea aurea
Parosela pogonathera
Dalea pogonathera
Pentstemon
Penstemon
Persicaria longistyla
Polygonum longistylum
Persicaria punctata
Polygonum punctatum
Phlox drummondii (purple variety)
Phlox Goldsmithii (left, p. 107)
Phlox drummondii (purple variety)
Phlox McAllisteri (right, p. 107)
Phlox helleri
Phlox littoralis
Phytolacca decandra
Phytolacca americana
Pleiotaenia nuttallii
Polytaenia Nuttallii
Ptiloria pauciflora
Stephanomeria pauciflora
Quamasia hyacinthina
Camassia scilloides
Rosa woodsii
Rosa foliolosa
Sabbatia
Sabatia
Senecio filifolius
Senecio longilobus
Sisyrinchium thurowi
Sisyrinchium exile
Sitilias multicaulis
Pyrrhopappus sp.
Sophia pinnata
Descurainea pinnata
Stenorrhyncus cinnabarinus
Spiranthes cinnabarina
Thrysanthema nutans
Chaptalia nutans
Thymophylla polychaeta
Dyssodia polychaeta
Thymophylla pentachaeta
Dyssodia pentachaeta
Toxicoscordion nuttallii
Zygadenus Nuttallii
Tradescantia bracteata
Tradescantia ohiensis
Verbena plicata
Verbena Cloveri
Vicia texana
Vicia ludoviciana
Yucca radiosa
Yucca elata
Yucca glauca
Yucca campestris

PLANT DISTRIBUTION

The above map[1] gives the larger natural areas of the state. The prairie regions afford the most profuse display of wild flowers. In the wooded area of East Texas, the shortleaf pine is abundant in the northern part, the loblolly in the southwestern part, and the longleaf pine in the southeastern part of the area, while hardwoods are found in the river bottoms. The chief trees in the post oak strip are post oak and black jack oak. Among the mountain cedars, live oaks and Spanish oaks, so common in the limestone hill region, may be found scattered trees and shrubs of the chaparral. The chaparral region is often broken by prairies but in some places is densely covered with shrubs and small trees which are usually thorny. The mesquite is abundant in this region and is more or less scattered throughout the prairie regions.

_TEXAS FLOWERS_

Author’s Note: The family characteristics are placed immediately below the illustrations at the beginning of each family group and set in smaller type to distinguish them from the individual group descriptions.

DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES

WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY (Alismaceae)

Marsh or water plants; leaves mostly basal; sepals 3; petals 3, white or pink, tender; stamens 6 or more; pistils many, free; fruit a head of achenes.

Small Arrowhead (_Sagittaria papillosa_) is a common pond dweller in Texas and Louisiana. Like other arrowheads the flowers are borne in whorls, the upper having many stamens and the lower producing the seeds. It may be distinguished from other narrow-leaved forms by the rough (papillose) surface of the floral leaves.

Plains or Long-Lobed Arrowhead (_Sagittaria longiloba_) is common in shallow water on the plains from Nebraska to Mexico from April to October. The shape of the leaf of this and other species has given the common names of arrowhead and arrowleaf to this group. Like the water-plantain and bur-head the flowers have 3 tender white petals. The wapato duck potato (_S. latifolia_) may be found in East Texas. Growing in great abundance along the coast, the water potato or scythe-fruited arrowhead (_S. falcata_) is a showy plant 2-4 feet high with large lance-shaped leaves. The tubers and young shoots of both of these are considered excellent foods for ducks. Indians also valued the starchy tubers for food, and it was the duty of the women to grub in the mud for them.

PINEAPPLE FAMILY (Bromeliaceae)

Chiefly air-plants, some rigid-leaved land plants; floral leaves often conspicuous; 3 sepals; 3 petals; stamens 3-6; pistil 3-celled.

Spanish Moss (_Dendropogon usneoides_) has long zig-zag stems hanging in gray masses from the branches of many trees, especially live oaks, from the Coastal Plain of the United States to South America. Sometimes called Florida-moss, wool crape, crape-moss, and long moss, it has long been renowned in literature and industry. Indians and pioneers found many uses for it, and it is still used for padding, fodder for cattle, decoration, and the making of mattresses. The short leaves are scattered on the slender stem, which may be 1-6 yards long. The fragrant flowers are small and inconspicuous, being about ¼ inch long, blooming in early summer. The name means “tree-beard.”

Ball Moss. Bunch Moss (_Tillandsia recurvata_) has small and inconspicuous purple flowers which appear in the summer. Like the Spanish moss, it gets its nourishment from the air but may injure trees by crowding out the leaves. Both mosses bear no relation to the true mosses but belong to the same family as the pineapple. The ball moss is found on trees, wires, rocks, and other places. Bailey’s bunch moss is a large-flowered form growing in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

SPIDERWORT FAMILY (Commelinaceae)

Mostly succulent herbs with tuberous or fibrous roots; flowers arising from a cluster of leaf-like bracts; sepals 3; petals 3; stamens 6; ovary 3-celled; fruit capsular.

Giant Spiderwort (_Tradescantia gigantea_) grows in clumps of stout stems 2-3 feet high. The numerous flowers on short slender stalks hang out of a cluster of 2-3 upper leaves which have sac-like bases, velvety with soft hairs. The 3-petaled flowers vary in color from purplish-blue to rose or white and close at noon. The 6 stamens are adorned with lovely violet hairs. It is found in Central Texas in April and May.

The spiderwort group was named for Tradescant, gardener to Charles I. It is well represented in Texas, all of the many different species being easy to transplant and making attractive garden plants. The wandering jew, a well-known spiderwort in cultivation, is a native of South America.

Prairie Spiderwort (_T. bracteata_) is a smaller plant with bluer flowers. Ranging from Minnesota to Texas, it has its blooming season in Texas in April and May.

Curly-Leaved Dayflower. Widow’s Tears (_Commelina crispa_) has two large blue petals and a third, minute, white, and inconspicuous. The upper three stamens are 4-lobed and sterile, quite different from the 3 lower pollen-producing stamens, one of which is larger than the others. The petals are very tender and last only one morning. This dayflower may be distinguished from several others in the state by its crisped leaf-margins. It is very common on the South Central Plains from May to September. The name is given in honor of early Dutch botanists by the name of Commelyn.

Texas Dayflower (_Commelinantia anomala_) has two large petals like the dayflowers, but may be distinguished from them by their lavender color and by having the leaf around the flower-cluster more like the lower leaves in shape. The three upper stamens are bearded with violet hairs like those of spiderworts. It grows in rich moist soil in the limestone hills of the southern part of the state and the adjoining part of Mexico.

PICKEREL-WEED FAMILY (Pontederiaceae)

Aquatic plants; leaves alternate, often basal; sepals 3, petal-like; petals 3, sepals and petals partly united; ovary 3-celled.

Water Hyacinth (_Eichhornia crassipes_) is also called wampee, river raft, and water orchid. It grows so thick in places that water channels may be blocked, and island-like masses may serve as rafts. With its large spikes of lavender flowers and its broad shining leaves with their curious bulbous floats, it is the queen of our water plants. Many streams, lakes, and canals along the coastal highway offer living pictures which will not soon fade from the memory. The plants float by means of the bulbous enlargement of the leaf stalk. The flowers are somewhat 2-lipped, the 3 sepals and 3 petals somewhat alike but with a yellow spot on the upper petal.

Pickerel Weed (_Pontedaria cordata_) may be found growing in the mud of inland waters along the coast. It is a taller plant than the water hyacinth, the spikes are narrower, the flowers are a deeper purple, and the leaves are narrower and have no float.

LILY FAMILY (Liliaceae)

Aquatic plants; leaves alternate, often basal; sepals 3, petal-like; petals 3, sepals and petals partly united; ovary 3-celled.

Nuttall’s Death Camass (_Toxicoscordion nuttallii_) is a common prairie bunch-flower from Texas to Tennessee and Kansas. The leaves, which are mainly basal, long, narrow, and curved, and the stout stems 1-2 feet high arise from a large black-coated bulb which is poisonous. Many cream-colored flowers are borne in a round-topped cluster. The 3 sepals and 3 petals are alike, and the 6 stamens have large yellow anthers. The 3-beaked capsules have numerous seeds. The flowers bloom in April and May. The poisonous bulb is responsible for the name, which is derived from the Greek meaning “poison-onion.”

Wild Hyacinth (_Quamasia hyacinthina_) is also called indigo-squill or meadow hyacinth. Growing from a deep-rooted edible bulb, a slender stalk 1-2 ft. high bears a spike-like cluster of hyacinth-blue flowers at the top. The flowers are about ½ inch broad and have a most delightful fragrance. It is widespread from Pennsylvania to Texas, common in Texas along railroads in April.

Prairie Onion (_Allium nuttallii_) has short flower stalks 4-6 inches high growing from a very small bulb which has a brown, finely-woven outer coat. The flowers are nearly half an inch broad and vary from pale pink to a deep rose. _Allium_ is the Latin for “garlic,” and both the cultivated garlic and onion are members of this group. There are nearly twenty different wild onions in the state, many of which make lovely garden plants. _Allium mutabile_, a taller onion with very numerous white flowers, blooms in May. The prairie onion is the same as Heller’s onion (_Allium helleri_) and blooms in April.

Crow Poison. False Garlic (_Nothoscordum bivalve_) is one of the first flowers to appear in the spring on lawns, meadows, and roadsides throughout the Southern States and may bloom again in the autumn. It looks very much like the onions, but has fewer, larger flowers on long stalks and does not have the onion odor. It grows from an onion-like bulb. The name is from the Greek meaning “false garlic.”

Beargrass. Fine-Leaved Tree-Yucca (_Yucca elata_) belongs to a group widely represented in Texas by many different forms, those with thin thready leaves being known as beargrass, soapweed, “palmillo,” and Adam’s needle and those with thick, stiff, sharp-pointed leaves as Spanish bayonet or dagger. All have creamy or greenish-white bell-shaped drooping flowers borne in dense clusters on a long stalk growing out of a rosette of leaves. The fine-leaved tree-yucca sometimes grows 20 ft. high and is very abundant west of the Pecos River to Arizona. The budding flower stalk is quite tender and palatable and was often used as a food by early settlers. It is an excellent food for cattle, and they keep the stalks stripped of budding shoots, making the absence of seed pods quite conspicuous on the cattle ranges. Indians used the leaf fibers for making sandals.

Soapweed (_Yucca glauca_), the common yucca of the Panhandle of Texas and adjacent states, has an unbranched flower stalk. As in other yuccas, the roots yield soap when the bark is removed and crushed in water. The fruits of the stiff-leaved tree-yuccas are edible.

AMARYLLIS FAMILY (Amaryllidaceae)

Plants with bulbs or fibrous roots; leaves basal; sepals 3, petal-like; petals 3, sepals and petals united into a tube below; stamens 6; ovary inferior, 3-celled.

Small or Drummond’s Rain Lily (_Cooperia drummondii_) is known in cultivation as evening star. It does not have a stalked seed pod like the giant rain lily and has smaller flowers with much longer tube and shorter and narrower leaves. It blooms in the late summer and fall.

The cooperias were named in honor of Joseph Cooper, an English gardener. Drummond’s rain lily honors Thomas Drummond, a Scottish plant collector who visited the southeastern part of Texas in 1833-34.

Giant Rain Lily (_Cooperia pedunculata_) has lovely fragrant white flowers which last only a day or two. The tubular flowers appear funnel-shaped for some hours after opening, but the six broad lobes spread widely as the flowers mature. The leaves are all basal and grow from a large black-coated bulb; they are about a foot long and nearly half an inch wide. Shortly after heavy rains in spring and early summer, lawns, meadows, and woods in Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico are covered with the lovely blossoms. It is also called prairie lily, field lily, crow poison, and fairy lily.

Copper Lily. Texas Atamosco Lily. Stagger Grass (_Zephyranthes texana_) is a copper-colored lily blooming in August and September in Central Texas. The inner surface of the petals is yellow and shows a purple veining. The flowers stalks are 6-12 inches long, growing from a cluster of very slender leaves. The yellow atamosco (_Zephyranthes longifolia_) has yellow flowers. It may be found in West Texas to Arizona and Mexico in the late summer and fall.

Yellow Star Grass (_Hypoxis erecta_) has yellow flowers about an inch broad. It is one of the earliest and commonest spring flowers in the eastern pine woods, blooming in Texas in March and April.

The common century plant of the Big Bend is _Agave havardiana_. It is not as large as the widely cultivated American century plant introduced from Mexico. A candelabrum-like cluster of yellow flowers, which are provided with a vast quantity of nectar, grows at the top of a stout stalk, which is commonly 12-15 feet high. The stalk grows from a cluster of broad gray leaves, 1-1½ feet long, bordered with recurved prickles and ending in a sharp-pointed spine. Lecheguilla (_Agave lecheguilla_) is a much smaller plant with narrow spikes of greenish-white flowers.

Texas Spider Lily (_Hymenocallis galvestonensis_) grows in moist soil, in ditches, or on the edges of ponds. It is particularly abundant on the coastal prairie. A thick, fleshy flower stalk grows from a cluster of strap-shaped leaves about an inch broad and bears 4—6 white flowers in a cluster at the top of the stalk. The scientific name means “beautiful membrane” and refers to the delicate white funnel-tube uniting the bases of the 6 stamens. The 3 linear petals and the three similar sepals are about 6 in. long, united at their lower half into a slender tube. The upper half spreads, giving rise to the common name of spider lily. The flowers bloom from March to May. It was long ago introduced into cultivation and is considered quite hardy in the North.

Western Spider Lily (_Hymenocallis occidentalis_) has similar flowers, but blooms in the summer after the leaves die back. It is found in moist soil and on shaded hillsides from Northeast Texas to Indiana and Georgia.

IRIS FAMILY (Iridaceae)

Perennial herbs with bulbs, corms, or rhizomes; leaves usually basal and flattened at the sides; 3 sepals and 3 petals nearly equal; stamens 3; ovary below the perianth; fruit a 3-celled capsule.

Pleated-Leaf Iris (_Herbertia caerulea_) has pleated leaves like the celestials, but the flowers are quite different, the 3 sky-blue sepals being large and spreading and the 3 petals small and inconspicuous. The bases are white with violet markings. It is very abundant on the Coastal Plain of Louisiana and Texas in April and May. The name is in honor of William Herbert, a distinguished English botanist.

Prairie Celestial (_Nemastylis acuta_) has 6-parted sky-blue flowers with the 3 sepals and 3 petals nearly equal, white at the base. The 2-branched thread-like styles, from which the name is derived, spread horizontally between the 3 erect stamens. It grows on the prairies of North Texas to Kansas and Tennessee.

Woodland Celestial (_Nemastylis texana_) with its steel-blue flowers is more abundant in the southern part of the state in open post oak woods. Like the pleated-leaf iris, the flowers of the celestials open late in the morning and remain open only a few hours.

Sword-Leaved Blue-Eyed Grass (_Sisyrinchium ensigerum_) is one of many blue-eyed grasses in the state, most of which have purplish-blue flowers, 6-parted and about half an inch broad, marked at the base with yellow. The flower has 3 erect united stamens. The flowers hang on thread-like stalks from two boat-shaped leaves about an inch long. The stems are winged, sword-shaped or outcurved, and have very fine saw-toothed edges. South-central to Northwestern Texas in April and May. In East Texas the prairie blue-eyed grass (_Sisyrinchium campestre_) is common. It has pale blue flowers, and the outer floral leaf is prolonged to a slender point, being 1½-2 in. long.

Dwarf Blue-Eyed Grass (_Sisyrinchium minus_) has small reddish-purple flowers and an oblong seed capsule. Coastal Plain, Louisiana to Texas. Spring.

Thurow’s Blue-Eyed Grass (_Sisyrinchium thurowi_) is a very small plant with small yellow flowers found in the southeastern part of the state in damp places. Spring.

Giant Blue-Flag or Iris (_Iris giganticaerulea_) is a tall iris found in swampy places in East Texas and Louisiana, blooming in late April and May. The color of this iris is quite variable, ranging from dark violet to lavender and white. The recurved spreading sepals are 3-4 inches long, and the petals are shorter and erect. The capsules are 3-4 in. long with 6 rounded ridges.

Narrow Blue-Flag (_Iris virginica_) has been confused with the Carolina iris, according to Dr. Small of the New York Botanical Garden, who has recently described many new irises from Louisiana. The narrow blue-flag is colored similarly to the giant iris, but has shorter 3-angled capsules, very narrow leaves, and zig-zag stems. It is abundant on the Coastal Plain in early spring.

Red-Brown Flag (_Iris fulva_) is also found in the swamps in East Texas.

ORCHID FAMILY (Orchidaceae)

Air plants or tuberous-rooted; leaves alternate, undivided; sepals 3; petals 3, the middle one, or “lip,” often complex in structure; stamens 2 or 1, united to pistil; ovary below the perianth.

Slender Ladies’-Tresses (_Ibidium gracile_) is also called twisted-stalk or corkscrew-plant because of the twisting of the flower-stalk. The stems, which are 8 in. to 2 ft. high, grow from a cluster of tuberous roots and have two broad leaves at the base. This flower ranges from Texas to Nova Scotia.

Rose Pogonia. Snake-Mouth (_Pogonia ophioglossoides_) grows in swampy places from Texas to Newfoundland. Pogonia is from the Greek, meaning “bearded” and refers to the bearded lip.

Grass-Pink (_Limodorum tuberosum_) is a pink-flowered orchid of East Texas and the Eastern States similar to the rose pogonia, but does not have the short clasping leaf on the stem.

The orchid family is a large group of more than 15,000 species. Some orchids are air-plants, attaching themselves to tree-trunks, but none of these are found among the 25 orchids growing in Texas. Perhaps the handsomest orchid in the state is the red-flowered flame orchid (_Stenorrhynchus cinnabarinus_) found in the mountains of the Big Bend. All the Texas orchids are rare enough to need protection.

BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (Polygonaceae)

Leaves usually alternate; sepals 3-6, sometimes petal-like; petals absent; stamens usually 6-9; ovary 1-celled.

Many-Flowered Buckwheat (_Eriogonum multiflorum_) is also called umbrella-plant because of its spreading clusters at the top of the stem. It grows about 2 ft. high, being very abundant in sandy soil from South-central Texas to Arkansas and Louisiana in the late summer and fall. The name means “woolly knees,” referring to the jointed stems.

Buckwheat flour is made from the seeds of _Fagopyrum esculentum_, a closely related plant, similar in size, white-flowered, and with large 3-angled seeds. Queen’s crown or wreath (_Antigonon leptopus_), a lovely pink-flowered vine widely cultivated in Texas, is a member of the buckwheat family.

Annual Buckwheat (_Eriogonum annuum_), similar to the many-flowered buckwheat, but with leaves white-woolly on both sides and narrowed at the base, is very abundant in the northwestern part into New Mexico and Mexico. Acre after acre along the highways is often covered with it. Many other white-, yellow-, and red-flowered buckwheats are found in the mountains of West Texas.

Southern Smartweed (_Persicaria longistyla_), ranging from Mississippi to New Mexico is also called gander-grass or knotweed. It grows in wet places throughout the state and blooms in the late summer and fall. The dense spikes of small pink flowers are very attractive, the flowers having 5 pink sepals but no petals. The seeds are lens-shaped and covered with a black shining coat. The seeds of many of the smartweeds are considered good food for ducks.

Dotted Smartweed (_Persicaria punctata_) has scattered greenish-white flowers and 3-angled seeds. The leaves are much narrower than those of the Southern smartweed. Many other smartweeds are found in the state.

Curly-Leaved Dock (_Rumex crispus_), as well as several other docks, is common in the state. The leaves of some of them are used for greens. Canaigre is the dock of Western Texas and New Mexico, the roots of which have furnished tannin for commercial purposes.

FOUR-O’CLOCK FAMILY (Nyctaginaceae)

Leaves opposite or alternate; flowers often surrounded by colored bracts; calyx tubular, often petal-like; petals absent; stamens 1 to many; ovary 1-celled.

Gray’s Umbrella-Wort. Pink Four-O’clock (_Allionia grayana_) has delicate pink flowers which have no petals, but the 5 united sepals are petal-like in appearance. The flowers are spreading or funnel-shaped and open in the afternoon. Several flowers are borne together and are surrounded at their bases by 5 short united floral leaves, forming a pale green veiny involucre which is sometimes mistaken for the flower. The clusters terminate the branches on a widely spreading plant about 2 ft. high.

Small-Flowered Four-O’clock (_Allionia incarnata_) is very abundant in Southwestern Texas to Arizona and South America. It forms a low, spreading plant, which is profusely covered with small pink blooms less than half an inch broad.

Narrow-Leaved Sand-Verbena (_Abronia angustifolia_) is a low plant with a dense head of pink flowers which are so fragrant that one plant will perfume the air for some distance. In favorable seasons the hills around El Paso are pink with the lovely blooms. It is called sand-verbena because of the verbena-like clusters.

Devil’s Bouquet (_Nyctaginia capitata_) is also called skunk flower because of its heavy, disagreeable odor. The head-like clusters of scarlet flowers are very showy, being 2-3 in. broad. The 5-lobed flowers resemble those of the umbrella-worts and likewise open in the afternoons. The plants are low and scattered, but are quite common from Central and Southern Texas to Mexico and New Mexico from May to October.

Angel’s Trumpet (_Acleisanthes longiflora_) grows from long spreading stems with the long-tubed flowers sharply erect. The flowers are over an inch broad with a tube 4-6 in. long. It is most abundant in the spring, but may be found until October in the same range as the devil’s bouquet. Jimson-weed (_Datura_) is also called angel’s trumpet.

Bougainvillea is a member of this family frequently cultivated in the southern part of the state. The common four-o’clock is often seen in gardens and in some places has escaped cultivation.

POKEWEED FAMILY (Phytolaccaceae)

Leaves alternate, entire; sepals 4-5; petals absent; stamens 3 to many, sometimes united at the base; ovary with 1 to many distinct or united carpels.

Rouge Plant. Small Pokeberry (_Rivina vernalis_) was named for A. Q. Rivinus, a botanist of Leipzig. It was known as _Rivina humilis_, the latter name meaning low. It has small flowers, about ¼ in. broad, with 4 white or pink petal-like sepals and 4 stamens. The bright red berries often occur on the stems while flowers are still present. The low plants, a foot or more high, grow profusely in woods in Central Texas, but may be found from Arkansas to the tropics. When vegetable dyes were in common use, a red dye was obtained from the berries.

Ink-Berry. Large Pokeberry (_Phytolacca americana_) is a leafy, stout, branched plant 3-9 ft. high, with large leaves and spike-like clusters of white flowers and purple berries. It is a perennial that grows from a poisonous root. With special care in the picking and preparation, the young shoots are sometimes used for greens. The shoe-button-like berries were used for ink in pioneer days. Maine to Texas. Summer and fall.

PURSLANE FAMILY (Portulacaceae)

Herbs or undershrubs, often succulent; sepals 2; petals 4-6, soon falling; stamens few or many; ovary 1-celled; fruit a capsule opening by valves or a transverse split.

Lance-Leaved Portulaca (_Portulaca lanceolata_) is a weed found in sandy soil from Central and Southern Texas to Arizona. The flowers are less than half an inch broad with 5 pinkish-yellow petals and 7-27 stamens. It may be distinguished from other portulacas by the crown-like rim around the capsule. Hairy rose moss (_Portulaca pilosa_) is more abundant and showy, with purplish-red flowers nearly an inch broad, greatly resembling the large-flowered rose moss in cultivation. The capsule of the portulacas opens by a cap.

Small-Flowered Talinum (_Talinum parviflorum_) has small pink flowers about ½ in. broad, which, like those of the portulacas, require bright sunlight for opening. These dainty flowers grow on slender stalks from a cluster of short, rounded leaves and may be found in rocky soil from Minnesota to Texas during the summer months.

PINK FAMILY (Caryophyllaceae)

Stems usually swollen at the joints; leaves opposite; sepals 4-5; petals 4-5, or absent; stamens usually 8-10; ovary usually 1-celled.

Western Chickweed (_Cerastium brachypodum_) is one of the early spring flowers to be found throughout the state, ranging from Illinois to Oregon and Mexico. The 5 small white petals are notched at the apex. The name is derived from the Greek meaning “horny” and refers to the horn-shaped capsule from which the seeds are scattered through the opening at the top. Several other chickweeds are found in the state in early spring.

Nuttall’s Starwort or Chickweed (_Stellaria nuttallii_) is a lovely white-flowered chickweed found on moist sandy prairies or in open woods in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana in March and April. The flowers are about 1 in. broad, and the 5 broad petals are deeply notched at the apex.

The pink family is well represented in cultivation, including the carnation, sweet William, garden pink, baby’s breath, and others. The red-flowered catch-fly (_Silene laciniata_), found in the mountains of West Texas to Mexico and California, is known in cultivation.

WATER-LILY FAMILY (Nymphaeaceae)

Aquatic herbs; leaves long-stalked, often floating; flowers solitary, large; sepals 3-6; petals numerous; stamens numerous; carpels 8 or more.

Blue Water-Lily (_Nymphaea elegans_) is a common water-lily along the coast of Texas and Mexico, particularly in the vicinity of Corpus Christi. The flowers vary from nearly white to a purplish-blue or lilac and are 3-6 in. broad. The floating leaves, about 7 in. broad, are dark purple below and nearly round; sometimes they have a few scattered teeth on the margins. The blooms last 3 days, opening about 8 o’clock in the morning and closing shortly after noon.

Yellow Water-Lily (_Nymphaea flava_) is a yellow-flowered water-lily found on the Texas and Florida coasts. The sweet-scented white water-lily is abundant in the southeastern part of the state.

Spatter Dock. Yellow Pond Lily (_Nuphar advena_), with yellow cup-shaped flowers 2-3 in. broad, is the common water-lily of slow streams and ponds throughout the state and ranges to Labrador, Florida, and Utah.

The water-lilies form an important food and cover for fish; ducks and muskrats feed upon the many seeds produced.

CROWFOOT FAMILY (Ranunculaceae)

Perennials, annuals, or climbing soft-wooded plants; sepals 3 to many; petals few to many; stamens and carpels usually many.

Southern Anemone or Windflower (_Anemone decapetala_) has 10-20 sepals which resemble petals, varying from a greenish white and pink to the common pale purplish-blue. The plants are commonly low, about 6 in. high in flower, with a few leaves growing from a tuberous root. The leaves are 3-parted, the segments lobed and toothed. The anemone is the Texas harbinger of spring, appearing in late January, February, or March on plains and prairies, and in the chaparral. It ranges from the Southern United States to South America. The Carolina anemone, with bluer flowers and more finely-divided leaves, is abundant in the woods of East Texas.

The crowfoot or real buttercup family (the yellow evening primrose is also called buttercup) is considered by most botanists as the plant family from which other plants have been derived. In many the fruits look very much like the fruit head of the arrowleaf. The columbine is a member of this family frequently cultivated in the gardens of the state, but the few native ones are not very abundant.

White Larkspur (_Delphinium albescens_) is the common larkspur of prairies and plains of Texas and ranges to Southern Canada. In Texas it blooms most abundantly in May. The white flowers resemble rabbit faces and are tinged with green and purple. It is the bane of ranchmen, for it is poisonous to cattle.

Carolina Larkspur (_Delphinium carolinianum_) commonly has lovely deep blue flowers, though white forms may be found. It is very abundant in East Texas in March and April, growing 1½-2 ft. high. The plants have few leaves, and these are 3-5 parted, each part being divided into narrow linear lobes. It is very much like the Texas larkspur (_Delphinium vimineum_), which has blue or white flowers, grows taller, and is more leafy than the Carolina larkspur.

“Delphinium” is derived from the Latin meaning “dolphin,” so-called because of the resemblance of the spurred flowers to a dolphin. The common garden larkspur is native to Southern Europe. Some of the larkspurs furnish drugs.

Large Buttercup (_Ranunculus macranthus_) has handsome, golden-yellow flowers about 2 in. broad. There are 10-15 broad yellow petals which are longer than the sepals and have a nectar pit at their base. The leaves are mainly basal, long-stalked, and divided into wedge-shaped lobes. It ranges from Central to Southwestern Texas and is most abundant in April. It is a plant which does well in cultivation but requires plenty of water; it blooms in the shade better than most garden plants.

Many of the buttercups grow in marshy places, a fact which is responsible for the old Latin name meaning “little frog.” Many different kinds are found along roadside ditches and in marshy places in East Texas. Some members of the crowfoot family, including the wood-anemone and the marsh marigold, common in the Northern States but not native to Texas, yield poisonous honey.

Drummond’s Virgin’s Bower. Old Man’s Beard (_Clematis drummondii_) is a vine growing in great profusion, covering shrubs and fences from Central Texas to Arizona and Mexico. The 4 petal-like sepals are pale greenish-yellow, almost white, narrow and thin with margins somewhat crinkled, about ½ in. long. The flowers bloom in the summer, being inconspicuous among the branching leafy stems. The stamen-bearing flowers are on a separate vine from the seed-producing flowers. The seeds mature in a few weeks, and soon the vine is covered with iridescent masses of silky, feathery plumes, 2-4 in. long, which grow out from the seed cover. These plumes are elongated, persistent styles and are responsible for many common names given to the vine, including grandfather’s beard, gray beard, goat’s beard, and love-in-the-mist.

Western Virgin’s Bower (_Clematis ligusticifolia_), with white flowers and leaves with 5-7 leaflets, has been reported from the mountains of West Texas.

Texas Leather Flower. Scarlet Clematis (_Clematis texensis_) has maroon or scarlet bell-shaped flowers about 1 in. long. It is a climbing vine found along streams in Central Texas, growing 6-10 or more feet high. The leaves are thickened, entire or lobed, ovate to rounded. This clematis is a hardy climber, well known in cultivation, giving rise to many hybrids when crossed with the marsh leather flower (_Clematis crispa_), which is a low climber, 3-4 ft. high, with lavender bell-shaped flowers. The leather flowers have no petals, the showy bells being made up of 4 thickened sepals. The flattened fruits grow in head-like clusters about an inch thick and have plumose tails 1-2 in. long.

Purple Leather Flower (_Clematis pitcheri_), together with the marsh leather flower, is often called blue bell. Except in color, the flower is very much like the scarlet clematis. The leaflets are more frequently 3-lobed, and the tails on the fruits are silky but not plumose. It grows in damp woods from Indiana to Mexico, beginning to bloom in Texas in April and continuing into the summer.

BARBERRY FAMILY (Berberidaceae)

Herbs or shrubs; leaves simple or compound; sepals 6, similar to petals; petals 6; stamens 6, irritable, opening by valves; ovary 1-celled; fruit a berry.

Agarita. Texas Barberry (_Berberis trifoliolata_), known also as agrito (meaning “little sour”), chaparral berry, and wild currant, is an evergreen shrub forming an important part of the chaparral in the central and southwestern parts of the state and adjacent Mexico. The thick gray-green leaves are divided into three leaflets which have 3-7 lobes ending in sharp spines. The stiff spreading branches form a compact shrub 4-5 feet high.

The clusters of fragrant flowers are among the first spring blossoms to appear in late February and March. With 6 spreading yellow sepals and 6 yellow petals forming a cup around the stamens and pistil, the small flowers are somewhat like those of the narcissus. The acid berries ripen in May and June, being used for jellies and wines; the flowers are an important source of nectar; and the wood and roots furnish a yellow dye which was used by Indians and pioneers.

May Apple. Mandrake (_Podophyllum peltatum_) is abundant in moist woods in East Texas. The white flower growing in the fork of the stem is overtopped by the two umbrella-shaped leaves.

MOONSEED FAMILY (Menispermaceae)

Usually twining shrubs or small trees; flowers small, unisexual and perfect; sepals 6; petals 6, or absent; stamens 6-12; carpels 3-6; fruit berry-like, 1-seeded.

Moonseed Vine (_Cebatha Carolina_) is a vine with clusters of small red berries. It is very abundant throughout the state in woods and on fences, ranging north to Kansas and Virginia. It is also called coral-bead, margil, coral-vine, and red-berried moonseed. “Cebatha,” from the Greek, alludes to its climbing habit, while “moonseed” refers to the curved seed of the fleshy red berries which ripen in the fall and remain on the vines long after the leaves have fallen. The small white flowers bloom during the summer and fall. The leaves are quite variable, sometimes entire and sometimes distinctly 3-lobed and rarely 5-lobed, being smooth above and downy beneath.

The berries of the Indian moonseed contain an acrid poison which is used by the Chinese in catching fish, as it will temporarily stun or intoxicate the fish.

POPPY FAMILY (Papaveraceae)

Annuals or perennials with colored juice; sepals 2-3; petals 4-6, rarely more or wanting; stamens numerous; carpels 2 or more united; capsules opening by valves or pores.

Rose Prickly Poppy (_Argemone rosea_) is one of the loveliest flowers of South Texas. It is very abundant along the Rio Grande, extending into Mexico and northward almost to San Antonio. The large flowers vary in color from pale pink to rose and purple-rose and are more cup-shaped than the white-flowered species. It has gray-green leaves conspicuously blotched with white along the midribs, the slightly wavy margins being armed with sharp spines. Like other prickly poppies, the flowers have 6 petals, the 3 outer a little different in shape from the 3 inner, and an orange-colored sap. Long considered a variety of the western prickly poppy (_Argemone platyceras_), which has very spiny leaves and stems and white flowers, it may readily be separated because of its seed-pods, which are about 2 in. long and decidedly broader above the middle.

_Argemone_ is from the Greek meaning an eye disease, supposedly cured by the plant. The opium poppy (_Papaver somniferum_) has been widely planted in gardens, and has escaped in places in the state.

Rough-Stemmed or White Prickly Poppy (_Argemone hispida_) is a bushy, leafy-stemmed plant growing about 2-3 ft. high. It is distinguished from several other very abundant white-flowered poppies by the fact that it has rough hairs as well as spines on the stem. The flowers as a rule are larger, often being 4-6 inches broad. The unusual sepals of the prickly poppies should be noted, as they sometimes cause the flower buds to be confused with the fruits. There are usually 3 sepals, which are horned or hooded, armed with spines, and snugly overlapping each other by a narrow margin. In the rough-stemmed prickly poppy the horns are large and triangular in shape. It ranges from Texas to Kansas and California.

Texas Prickly Poppy (_Argemone delicatula_) is not so branched or leafy and has flowers somewhat smaller, 2½-3 in. broad. The stigmas are purple instead of red, and the capsules are less than an inch long. This poppy grows in dry soil in Central Texas. The prickly poppies bloom most profusely in April, but scattered blooms appear throughout the summer and fall.

Yellow Prickly Poppy. Mexican Poppy (_Argemone mexicana_) is a common weed in tropical America, extending into Southwest Texas in the vicinity of Laredo and Del Rio, and has been introduced into many other countries. It is also called bird-in-the-bush, devil’s fig, flowering or Jamaica thistle, and Mexican thorn poppy. It has smaller flowers than the white and rose prickly poppies. It blooms in Texas in March and April and throughout the summer if the stems are cut. For cut flowers, the stems should be burned immediately upon gathering; otherwise the flowers soon wither.

The seeds of the Mexican poppy are valued for the painter’s oil obtained from them. The oil from the seeds is also said to act as a mild cathartic, the plant otherwise possessing emetic, anodyne, and narcotic properties.

FUMITORY FAMILY (Fumariaceae)

Leaves usually much divided; sepals 2; petals 4 in 2 series, outer usually spurred, the 2 inner usually crested and united; stamens 4 or 6; seeds shining.

Golden Corydalis. Plains Scrambled-Eggs (_Capnoides montanum_) is a common plant throughout the central and western parts of the state, ranging to Arizona and Montana, and blooming in Texas with the earlier spring flowers in March and April. By some botanists it is placed in the _Corydalis_ group, which was named because of the resemblance of the flower spur to that of a lark. The pods are about an inch long, and the seeds are black, smooth, and shining. The short-podded scrambled-eggs (_Capnoides crystallinum_) comes into the northern part of the state from Kansas and Missouri. The pods are over half an inch long, about ¼ in. broad, and covered with blisters.

Texas Corydalis or Scrambled-Eggs (_Capnoides curvisiliquum_) grows in the sandy regions of the state. It is usually a more bushy plant than the preceding ones, with longer 4-angled pods.

Dutchman’s breeches (_Dicentra cucullaria_), so called because of the shape of the flower, does not come into the state. The plant in Texas which is called Dutchman’s breeches from the shape of the seed case is _Thamnosma texana_, a member of the rue family.

MUSTARD FAMILY (Cruciferae)

Annual or perennial herbs; sepals 4; petals 4, standing opposite each other in a square cross; stamens, 4 long and 2 short; fruit a special pod called a silique.

Wedge-Leaved Whitlow-Grass (_Draba cuneifolia_) is so small that it might be overlooked if it bloomed at any other time than early spring. Growing from a cluster of basal leaves, the stems are topped by the cluster of small, alyssum-like flowers. It grows throughout the Southern United States and Mexico.

Alyssum-Flowered Peppergrass (_Lepidium alyssoides_) is a low bushy perennial plant with numerous clusters of small white flowers. It grows in the western part of the state, ranging to Arizona and Colorado. Many other peppergrasses are found in the state, some with inconspicuous flowers, but all having the small, flat, roundish seed-pod which is usually notched above. The foliage and pods have an aromatic-peppery flavor. In some species the leaves are used for salad and the seeds for bird food, but the seeds from some native species have been fed to canaries with fatal results.

The mustard family is a large group well represented in Texas among the early spring flowers and includes many of our vegetables, such as mustard, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and water-cress.

Tansy Mustard (_Sophia pinnata_) grows in dry soil across the continent, blooming in Texas in March and April. The narrow pods are about half an inch long, erect or ascending. The flowers are small, the petals yellow. In the southern part of the state it is very abundant and grows 2-3 ft. high. The name was given because of medicinal properties accredited to the plant.

Slender Bladder-Pod. Cloth-of-Gold (_Lesquerella gracilis_) can be recognized by its bladder-like pods, which are responsible for its common name of pop-weed. The yellow petals are narrowed at the base and streaked with orange. The first flush of yellow on plains and prairies is usually due to the bladder-pods. There are more than 20 species in the state, most of them being very abundant. The scientific name is in honor of Leo Lesquereux, a Swiss and American botanist.

The western wall-flower (_Erysimum asperum_), which grows in sandy areas in West Texas, is one of the showiest yellow mustards in the state. Several large-flowered purple mustards are common, including _Streptanthus bracteatus_.

Greggia (_Greggia camporum_) is a white-flowered mustard which looks like the yellow western wall-flower. The flowers are about half an inch broad and sometimes tinged with purple. The stems are about a foot high and almost concealed by the broad gray-green leaves. The woolly pods are narrow, flattened, and about half an inch long. It is one of the commonest flowers in Southwestern Texas, blooming in April, May, and June.

Spectacle-Pod (_Dithyraea wislizeni_) is a common plant on sandhills and gravelly mesas in Western Texas and ranges to Utah and Mexico. Any one seeing the seed pods will think that the common name is most appropriate. The plants grow 1-2 ft. high and are topped by the showy clusters of white flowers. The leaves and flowers are very much like those of greggia, but the fruits easily distinguish them. It was first collected by Wislizenus in New Mexico in 1846.

PITCHER-PLANT FAMILY (Sarraceniaceae)

Herbs with tubular leaves; flowers nodding; sepals 4-5; petals 5, or absent; stamens numerous; style often umbrella-like; ovary 3-5-celled.

Yellow Pitcher-Plant. Trumpet-Leaf (_Sarracenia sledgei_) is also called trumpets, water-cup, watches, and biscuits. The last two names are suggestive of the broad, umbrella-shaped structure bearing the stigmas and occupying the center of the flower. The other names refer to the tubular, ribbed, trumpet-shaped leaves. The flowers are drooping at maturity, with 5 fiddle-shaped yellow petals and 5 shorter yellow sepals tinged with brown or red. It grows in swamps from East Texas to Alabama and is quite similar to the eastern _Sarracenia flava_. April-May.

The pitcher-plant is a most efficient collector of insects. The upper part of the leaf bends over, forming a lid whose inner surface is covered with minute honey-glands attractive to insects. The upper part of the tube is smooth, affording little foothold and causing the insect to fall into and drown in the sticky fluid given off in the lower part of the tube. Downwardly directed hairs prevent his escape. After a time his body is dissolved and absorbed by the plant. An overdose of animal food causes the browning and decay of the leaves.

ORPINE FAMILY (Crassulaceae)

Usually succulent herbs; leaves opposite or alternate; sepals 4-5; petals 4-5; stamens 5 or 10; carpels 4-5, free.