**ARCHIVED POST **
A recent article reviewed several native Texas plants that were recommended as best for the novice – easy to grow, easy to maintain, and appealing to the eye. This time let’s take a look at some plants that you might not find in retail nurseries, and which you might even pass by on a walk without noticing, or recognizing, as separate species.
Sedum nuttalium (Yellow Stonecrop)
For starters, here’s a close up of Yellow Stonecrop, a sedum that, as suggested by its name, grows on the limestone outcroppings that lie on the surface of much of the land in this area. You might notice it as you walk along a path in the park, appearing as a mass of tiny succulent leaves, sometimes greenish, sometimes yellow. Perhaps we would all benefit from getting down on our knees and peering closely at these fragile, tiny blooms.
Centaurium texense (Lady Bird’s Centaury)
Next we find a small pink flower that appears in clumps about ankle height, and bearing the name of a former First Lady. Lady Bird’s Centaury is similar in shape and color to Mountain Pink, but not as bright and not as closely and densely clumped. Its charm is more subtle, easily passed over unless one pauses and takes a closer look at the color contrast.
Symphyotricum oblongifolium (Aromatic Aster)
The third flower to appear in this article is small, but uncommon primarily because it was photographed in the middle of May, when its reported bloom period is in the autumn. Aromatic Aster or Fall Aster, as its commonly known, generally appears in masses of blooms in the fall, providing food for butterflies, bees, and other nectar feeding insects.
The preceding plants, although not widely known, are available in the retail nursery industry. It may be difficult to find them at any one particular store, or at this particular time of year.
Matelea reticulata (Pearl Milkweed Vine)
The other plants listed here are among the milkweeds, and are endemic to Texas. The first of these is commonly known as Green Milkweed Vine, or Pearl Milkweed, due to its silvery “pearl” in the middle of its flower. You are unlikely to find it even in nurseries that carry native Texas plants, though it may be offered at native plant sales like the ones at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center or at the Heard Nature Center. As a vine that relies on support from shrubs or trees on which to climb, it requires some shade and some sunlight, but is not demanding of water.
Cynanchum berbigeron (Bearded Swallow-wort)
Finally we turn to another small milkweed vine, which blooms in the spring with small clusters of flowers. This one was nestled within the shade of an Ashe Juniper tree, and would likely have gone unidentified had it not been caught with its flowers in bloom. The plant is commonly known as Bearded Swallow-wort, and is one of several hundred species within the Swallow-wort genus. Although some species have been used in traditional Chinese medicine, others have been said to be toxic. It’s perhaps best to look, but not touch, to take only pictures and leave no trace behind.
All of the native Texas flowers in this article were photographed in the Brushy Creek MUD greenbelts and adjacent areas near Georgetown in May 2017.
**ARCHIVED POST**
**ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK**
**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: rkamper
