Part 9

Prairie Blazing Star. Button Snakeroot (_Laciniaria punctata_) is sometimes called liatris from the scientific group to which these plants are sometimes referred. A similar prairie blazing star is called gay-feather. On the dry prairies in the western part of the state the blazing star has short stems and short spikes of flowers; but where moisture is more abundant, the plants are one to two feet high. The plant does well in cultivation and is easily grown from the seed. It ranges from Southern Canada to Texas and New Mexico.

The stems are closely covered with the narrow leaves, which are marked with minute glandular dots. The spikes are densely covered with long, narrow heads of purple flowers. There are only a few star-shaped tubular flowers in a head. The seeds are widely scattered by their crown of plumose bristles. The lovely spikes are often dried for winter bouquets.

Many eastern blazing stars are found in the woods of East Texas, where they make showy displays from July to October. They are called snakeroots from their reputed property of curing snake-bites. A tea made from the plant will cause profuse perspiration; the perspiration was probably responsible for the reported snake-bite cures. They are also called devil’s bit or devil’s bite, because of the bitten-off appearance of the rootstock. The rootstock was considered such a powerful remedy for human ills that the devil bit off a part for spite.

Tall Goldenrod (_Solidago altissima_) grows 2-8 ft. high, has rough leaves which are sharply toothed and prominently triple-nerved, and is topped by dense clusters of yellow flowers. Most of the goldenrods are widely distributed in North America; the tall goldenrod is abundant in dry soil from Maine to Nebraska and Texas.

Gray, Field, or Dwarf Goldenrod (_Solidago nemoralis_) has flower heads all turned to one side of the branches which top the slender wand-like stems. The stems are one half to two feet high. This is one of the most abundant goldenrods in the central and western parts of the state from July to November and ranges from Canada to Florida and Arizona.

In Texas the goldenrods are usually found only in moist soil, many eastern species growing profusely in East Texas. The three-nerved goldenrod (_Solidago trinervata_) is the common one in Southwest Texas.

Stiff or Hard-Leaved Goldenrod (_Solidago rigida_) is one of about thirty-five goldenrods found in the state. It belongs to the type which is responsible for the common name, as the yellow flowers are in heads arranged in rod-like clusters at the top of the stem. The scientific name of “Solidago,” meaning “to make whole,” had its origin in the healing properties of certain species.

The stiff goldenrod grows in dry rocky or sandy soil east of the Rocky Mountains from Southern Canada to Texas. It grows 1½-2 feet high and has broad leaves 1-2 inches long. Lindheimer’s goldenrod (_Solidago lindheimeriana_) is a similar stout, leafy-stemmed plant which is abundant in Central Texas and ranges to Kansas and Mexico. Bigelow’s goldenrod (_Solidago bigelovii_) is another species with rod-like clusters. It is found in the mountainous regions of West Texas and New Mexico.

Broom-Weed. Kindling-Weed (_Amphiachyris dracunculoides_) is a pasture pest in the southern part of the Great Plains region. The slender stem is unbranched near the base, but above the middle the numerous spreading branches form a flat-topped plant which bears many small heads of yellow flowers. The plants are often 2-4 feet high and grow in dense masses. It has been used as a broom by early settlers, Mexicans, and children at play. The resinous foliage of the dried plants was also highly valued for kindling fires.

The broom-weed is closely related to the rabbit-brush which is so abundant in West Texas and New Mexico. The Texas rabbit-brush (_Gutierrezia texana_) of West Texas is so much like the broom-weed that only a close observer can distinguish them. Both have 5-8 flowers with strap-shaped corollas in the outer part of the head and a few tubular flowers in the center; both bloom in the late summer and fall.

Camphor Daisy (_Heterotheca subaxillaris_), so called because of the camphor-like odor of the rough foliage, is a common summer pest to the farmer. The plants often grow 3 feet high and are much branched, bearing heads of golden-yellow flowers nearly an inch across. The upper leaves are broad and clasping, but the lower are narrowed at the base. The scientific name refers to the dissimilar fruits of the ray and disk flowers, those of the ray flowers having no bristles. It ranges from Delaware to Arizona and Mexico.

Texas Gumweed (_Grindelia texana_) belongs to a group easily recognized because of its sticky, bur-like heads and thick leaves. This one is common on rocky limestone slopes in Central Texas in the fall and ranges to Southwest Missouri. The wand-like stems, covered with the overlapping leaves, are topped by large heads of yellow flowers. Many gumweeds are found in Texas. Some of them were used to relieve colds, asthma, and rheumatism.

Big Gumweed. Saw-Leaf Daisy (_Prionopsis ciliata_) is easily recognized by its straight, stiff stalks which are closely covered with broad oval leaves. Dense masses of the sentinel-like plants may be seen along fence-rows in North-central and West Texas in August and September. It ranges north to Kansas and Missouri. The stems are topped by short clusters of large heads, 2-3 inches broad. The leaves are thick, gummy, and closely beset with bristle-tipped teeth. Sometimes an injury to the stem may cause it to become widely branched.

The scientific name means “resembling a saw” and refers to the leaf-margins. It is not a true gumweed but has similar bur-like heads. It differs from the gumweeds in having several unequal hair-like bristles on the seed, whereas the seeds of gumweeds have 2-8 stiff bristles.

Yellow Sleepy Daisy (_Xanthisma texanum_) is a yellow daisy with lazy habits, for the heads do not open until noon. It is close kin to the white lazy daisy (_Aphanostephus skirrobasis_), and the two may often be found growing in the same fields. The large heads of lemon-yellow flowers are quite showy and attractive, 1½ inches broad, solitary at the ends of the branches. The ray flowers are narrow, about one inch long, and conspicuously lance-shaped at the tips.

This plant blooms in the late spring and summer and is found on sandy prairies or open woods in Central Texas. It is an annual, the stem branched above, commonly about 1-1½ feet high. The leaves are glossy green, somewhat narrow, and one to two inches long. It has been introduced into cultivation in the North and East. The name is Greek, meaning “dyed yellow.”

Berlandier’s Golden Aster (_Chrysopsis berlandieri_) is common on roadside banks and prairies of Central and West Texas. Growing from a perennial root, the branched stems sprawl in clumps about a foot broad and are thick with yellow heads soon after a heavy rain. The heads are nearly an inch broad, the flowers all yellow. The leaves are whitish and somewhat woolly. It blooms in the summer and fall.

Spiny-Leaved Yellow Aster. Iron Flower (_Sideranthus spinulosus_) has yellow heads much like the preceding, but the leaves are quite different, being divided into narrow segments which are bristle-pointed rather than spiny as the name indicates. “Sideranthus” means “iron flower.” It is very abundant on prairies and hills in the western part of the state and ranges to Canada and Mexico. It blooms from March to October. The iron flowers are often called gold daisies. The southern iron flower (_Sideranthus australis_) is common in Southwest Texas.

White Lazy Daisy (_Aphanostephus skirrobasis_) grows very abundantly in sandy soil in spring and summer. It ranges from Kansas to Mexico and Florida. The morning traveller does not appreciate its beauty, for it is truly a lazy daisy, not opening its heads until nearly noon. The plants are usually branched and grow 6-18 inches high. The large, showy heads are 1-2 inches across and are usually long-stalked. Unlike those of many other daisies, the seeds are not topped by slender bristles but have an inconspicuous crown, as is denoted by the scientific name, which is Greek for “faint crown.”

Oak-Leaved Fleabane Daisy (_Erigeron quercifolius_) is very abundant in the spring in the East Texas woods and ranges through the Southern States. The lower leaves resemble oak leaves, but those on the stem are narrow and pointed. The numerous fleabane daisies in the state may be readily recognized by means of the many, very narrow ray flowers which are usually white, pale pink, or pale lavender. Kiss-me-and-I’ll-tell-you (_Erigeron annuus_) is a taller daisy and is very abundant in East Texas.

Dwarf Blue Aster (_Keerlia bellidiflora_) is a shade-loving, sprawling plant growing in moist soil in Central Texas. Its small heads, less than half an inch across, have the aster habit of closing at night and opening in bright light. The outer ray flowers are bluish-lavender, and the tubular inner flowers are yellow. It blooms from late March to May.

Dwarf White Aster (_Chaetopappa asteroides_) is a very small and wiry plant, growing two to ten inches high and becoming much branched with age. The small narrow heads with white rays and yellow disk flowers are less than half an inch broad. The leaves are narrow, commonly broader about the middle, and about half an inch long. The scientific name refers to the bristles on the seed. It is very abundant in sandy soil throughout the state and ranges to Missouri and Mexico. It blooms from March until early summer.

Blackweed. Roadside Aster (_Aster exilis_) is probably the least showy of the asters but is very abundant in Texas. It ranges from Kansas to Texas and Florida. The white, daisy-like heads may be noted against the dark-green foliage in roadside ditches, or it may appear as a violet haze along the highway. Although it is considered one of the common lawn pests in the fall, yet even there it is a thing of beauty; for when the slender stems are cut, numerous branches spread out from the base, and soon the grass is studded with the tiny white or lavender heads. Keepers of bees on the coastal prairie highly prize it as the source of their most palatable honey.

Spiny Aster (_Aster spinosus_) is quite similar to the roadside aster and has inconspicuous leaves which are sometimes reduced to spines. The flower heads are less than an inch broad with white outer flowers. It forms dense growths in river bottoms and along irrigation ditches and is especially abundant in the vicinity of El Paso.

Late Purple Aster (_Aster patens_) shows its lovely heads in October and November along the edges of post oak woods throughout the state. It is easily recognized by the short, broad, and roughened leaves on the wand-like stems. The illustration given is that of variety _gracilis_ which is abundant in the vicinity of Fort Worth. Many asters are found in the state, but very few make a conspicuous floral display except along the coastal plain and river bottoms.

Tansy Aster. Dagger-Flower (_Machaeranthera tanacetifolia_) has leaves much like those of the spiny-leaved yellow aster, but the purple-flowered heads are much larger and very showy, 1-2 inches broad. The heads are surrounded by bracts with green spreading tips. The inner tubular flowers are yellow but soon turn reddish-brown. It ranges from Nebraska to Mexico and California. This is one of the loveliest flowers on the western plains, blooming from May to October.

Narrow-Leaved Baccharis. Oil Willow (_Baccharis angustifolia_) looks very much like the black willow, to which, however, it bears no relationship. The leaves of baccharis have a resinous texture, and the flowers appear in the late summer and fall. The pollen-bearing flowers are not borne on the same shrub with the seed-bearing flowers. The flowers, all small, inconspicuous, whitish, and tubular, are borne in a narrow head of ovate bracts which soon turn brown.

It is called the oil willow by some of the older residents because it is said to be an indicator of oil, just as the black willow is said to be a good indicator of water. It is also called brittle willow, false willow, and resin willow. It grows in brackish marshes throughout the state and may be found eastward to North Carolina. The soft white plumy bristles on the seed give the shrub the feathery appearance of the Yankee-weed. Along the coast in the southeastern part, the groundsel-tree or pencil-tree (_Baccharis halimifolia_) is a lovely sight in the fall.

Large Rabbit Tobacco (_Filago prolifera_) is a low plant less than six inches high with a few short branches at the top of the stem and sometimes a few at the base. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, being borne in woolly, rather flattened heads which are about half an inch broad. It blooms from January to June and ranges from Texas to South Dakota.

Small Rabbit Tobacco (_Filago nivea_) is a smaller plant but is more densely clothed with woolly hairs. The minute, ball-like heads are clustered together. Both of these plants are also known as poverty-weed, chewing gum, and ladies’ tobacco. Poverty-weed is a suitable name for them in the sheep-grazing section of Central Texas which has been heavily over-grazed. In many pastures they take the place of grasses as a ground cover. The leaves may be chewed for gum. The rabbit tobacco is closely related to the cudweeds and everlastings. The plantain-leaved everlasting grows in moist woods in East Texas.

Southern Marsh Fleabane (_Pluchea purpurascens_) grows only in marshes or in continually moist places. The flowers are more rose-colored than purplish, as the name would indicate, and the tawny bristles on the seeds soon give a brownish tint to the heads. It often grows in pleasing combination with the blue mist-flower. It ranges from Texas to Florida and tropical America and blooms in the summer and fall.

The plants are commonly about two feet high, the stems being unbranched below and very leafy. The broad leaves are pointed at the tip and narrowed into stalk-like bases except on the upper part of the stem. The leaf-margins are irregularly toothed. The fragrant flowers are borne in small oblong heads in a flat-topped cluster.

The cudweeds are closely related to the marsh fleabane. They are particularly abundant in the mountains of West Texas, the loveliest one being Wright’s cudweed or everlasting (_Gnaphalium wrightii_), which has white flowers and foliage.

Prairie Blackfoot Daisy. Mountain Daisy. Rock Daisy (_Melampodium cinereum_) is very abundant on limestone slopes and in dry soil from Texas to Arkansas, Kansas, and Arizona. The scientific name is from the Greek words meaning “black foot” and refers to the blackened roots and stalks.

Blackfoot Daisy (_Melampodium ramosissimum_) grows from a black woody base and has many branched stems which form a dense rounded mound one to two feet broad. After sufficient rainfall from early spring until winter, this mound is covered by the saucy heads of white daisy-like flowers. The heads are about three-fourths inch across and have an outer row of 8-11 broad white ray-flowers. This is the most vigorous one of the blackfoot daisies and makes an excellent plant for the rock garden. It grows in Southwest Texas. The seeds are enclosed in a thickened cornucopia-like floral bract which has a flaring rim and many warty projections.

Texas Star Daisy. Lindheimer’s Daisy (_Lindheimera texana_) shows its star-like flower heads early in the spring while the plants are low and the leaves are closely clustered. By June the plants are tall and widely branched above. This plant honors by its name Ferdinand J. Lindheimer, an early settler of New Braunfels and editor of the “Neu Braunfelser Zeitung.” Lindheimer began his collection of Texas plants in 1836 and continued until his death in 1879. With the assistance of Dr. George Engelmann of St. Louis and Dr. Asa Gray of Harvard University, Lindheimer’s collections between 1842 and 1852, representing more than 1400 species of plants, were classified and distributed to the leading herbaria of Europe and America. A part of this collection is owned by the University of Texas Herbarium.

Prairie Zinnia (_Zinnia grandiflora_) grows in low, rounded clumps from Kansas to Mexico and Arizona and blooms from June to September. The bright yellow ray flowers are nearly round and remain on the seeds. With age they become papery, and the yellow disk flowers turn reddish-brown. The common zinnia in cultivation was introduced from Mexico.

Cut-Leaved Daisy. Engelmann’s Daisy (_Engelmannia pinnatifida_) is closely related to the sunflowers but has the daisy habit of closing the flower heads at night and opening them in bright sunlight. It is one of the commonest plants on prairies from Kansas to Louisiana and Arizona and grows in dense patches along roadsides and pastures from April to July.

The rough, hairy plants grow one to three feet high and are topped by broad clusters of long-stalked, showy yellow heads which are 1½-2 inches broad. The divided leaves are short-stalked on the lower part of the stem and on the upper part have clasping basal lobes.

This daisy honors the name of Dr. George Engelmann, an eminent botanist of St. Louis, who died in 1884.

Niggerhead. Thimble Flower (_Ratibida columnaris_) is also called Mexican hat, niggertoe, “gallitos,” long-headed or prairie cone-flower, and black-eyed Susan, though the last term is erroneously used. It is a very handsome plant, which is widely distributed on plains from Southern Canada to Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee. In South Texas it is at its best in April and May; in North Texas it is lovely in late May and June.

Numerous erect stems grow from a woody perennial root and are commonly two to two and a half feet high. The long-stalked heads terminate the branches. The leaves are finely divided into long narrow segments, both leaves and stem being somewhat rough.

The showy flowers have drooping, velvety rays which are entirely yellow or reddish-brown or partly colored yellow and brown. The small tubular flowers are brown and are borne on a thimble-shaped or columnar disk which varies greatly in size on different flowers, sometimes being nearly two inches long, but it is usually about an inch long. The disk is gray-green before the flowers open.

The dwarf niggerhead (_Ratibida tagetes_) is quite similar to the large niggerhead in growth habit and coloring, but it is a smaller plant and has smaller flowers. It is found from Kansas to Mexico on dry plains and blooms a month later than the large niggerhead.

The niggerhead belongs to a small group of showy American plants. It was introduced into European gardens many years ago, whence it later made its way back to American gardens. The niggerhead group is closely related to the black-eyed Susan and other cone-flowers. Several giant yellow-flowered cone-flowers grow in East Texas.

Clasping-Leaved Cone-Flower (_Dracopis amplexicaulis_) makes a showy display in roadside ditches from Central Texas to Louisiana and Missouri. It is a handsome plant with smooth branched stems one to two feet high. The slightly drooping rays commonly have brown spots at the base but may be all yellow. It is often called niggerhead or black-eyed Susan, but it may be distinguished from the latter by the thimble-shaped heads, which are green before the brownish disk flowers open. In South Texas it is at its best the latter part of April, but in North Texas June is its best month.

Black-Eyed Susan (_Rudbeckia hirta_) is a common daisy of the plains region from Southern Canada to Texas and Florida. It is a rough, hairy plant which grows from one to three feet high. Closely resembling it is _Rudbeckia bicolor_, which has shorter ray flowers marked with a reddish-brown base. The ray flowers of _Rudbeckia hirta_ may also show a dark base. Both are widely cultivated. The group was named in honor of Claus Rudbeck, a Swedish botanist.

Sampson’s Root. Narrow-Leaved Purple Cone-Flower (_Echinachea angustifolia_) is easily recognized by the spreading or somewhat drooping rose-colored rays. The heads terminate the stiff, unbranched stems which, like the narrow leaves, are very rough and bristly. The stems grow one to two feet high and are scattered on limestone hillsides but may occasionally be found in dense patches along the roadsides. The leaves have three prominent nerves.

The scientific name is derived from the Greek and refers to the stiff reddish-brown chaff on the flower head. This chaff obscures the brown disk flowers and remains on the heads long after the seeds have fallen. This plant is hard to distinguish from the pale purple cone-flower (_Echinachea pallida_), which grows in the woods in the eastern part of the state. The latter has longer and more drooping ray flowers. The purple cone-flowers are well known in cultivation.

Ragweed. Lyre-Leaved Parthenium (_Parthenium lyratum_) blooms from early spring until fall in Southwest Texas. This is a smaller plant than the common parthenium (_Parthenium hysterophorus_), which is widespread in the Gulf States and tropical America. The latter is a widely branched plant two to three feet high and grows in dense masses. They have similar flower clusters with small heads of greenish-white flowers. Neither of these is the ragweed or bloodweed commonly associated with hay fever; however, the common parthenium is listed as a poisonous plant. Wild quinine or feverfew (_Parthenium integrifolium_), used as a pioneer drug to relieve fever, has been reported from the state.

Several shrubby partheniums are found in West Texas. The most important member of the group is the silver-leaved guayule or rubber plant (_Parthenium argentatum_), found in West Texas and Mexico. It is a commercial source of rubber but is not yet profitable, as the plants are of slow growth.

Common Sunflower (_Helianthus annuus_) has been known in cultivation for many years but is considered native from Minnesota to Texas and Mexico. It is the state flower of Kansas. The stout, erect stems are widely branched above the base and are very sticky, 2-10 feet high. The flower heads, 3-6 inches broad, have many yellow ray flowers about an inch long and numerous tubular disk flowers. It is grown commercially for its fiber and seeds. The seeds make an excellent food for poultry and furnish an oil used in making soap, candles, and salad dressing.

Two other sunflowers are widely distributed in the state. The orange sunflower (_Helianthus cucumerifolius_) grows in the sandy post oak belt, and the blue-weed (_Helianthus ciliaris_) is very abundant in West Texas. The latter is a low, branching perennial which is poisonous to sheep.