Part 9

Purple Prairie Clover (Petalostemon purpurea) is quite similar to the golden parosela in its growth habit, narrow glandular leaflets, and head-like flower clusters. It grows on prairies from Minnesota to Texas. The white prairie clover (Petalostemon multiflorum), with ball-shaped clusters of white flowers, is common on prairies from Kansas to Texas. Both prairie clovers bloom in June and July.

Larger Ground Plum (Geoprumnon mexicanum) blooms with the first flowers of spring, forming conspicuous clumps on prairies from Illinois to Nebraska and Texas. The spreading prostrate branches grow 6-12 in. long and are covered with spike-like clusters of pale-purple flowers. The fleshy pods soon turn red and plum-like, maturing several weeks after flowering. The pods are edible and may be found in prairie-dog holes among the foods these animals have stored for the winter.

Loco Weeds are closely related to the ground plum, two of them being found in Texas and causing much loss to stockmen. They cause a slow poisoning of horses, sheep, and cattle but are particularly injurious to horses. The poisoning is chiefly due to the barium salts in the plant and is characterized by symptoms of staggering, some paralysis, and emaciation. The woolly loco weed (Astragalus mollissimus) has woolly leaves with 19-27 oval leaflets about half an inch long and spikes of violet-purple flowers. The stemless loco weed (Oxytropis lamberti) has basal leaves with 9-19 nearly linear leaflets about an inch long. Both are common on the plains, but the latter ranges into Southern Canada.

Nuttall’s Milk Vetch. Turkey Pea (Hamosa nuttalliana) is a low plant with few-flowered clusters of small flowers. Although it is inconspicuous, it is so common in yards and fields from Arkansas to Arizona that many people are familiar with it. It blooms in March in the southern part and May and June in the northern part of its range. The narrow pods are slightly curved and nearly an inch long. There are several hamosas with similar pods which are common in the state.

Texas Climbing Vetch (Vicia texana) has prostrate branches, 1-2 ft. long, and divided leaves terminating in branched tendrils by which the branches climb over the low plants with which they come in contact. Clusters of the dainty, pale bluish-purple flowers appear in late March and April, the plants forming masses of bloom along roadsides in the sandy regions of the state from Central Texas to Arkansas and Mississippi.

Many of the climbing vetches are planted for cover crops, and one is a garden bean. Many of the garden beans belong to the Phaseolus group, among these being the tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius latifolius), a native bean from West Texas to Arizona.

Coral-Bean (Erythrina herbacea) grows in woods along the coast from Texas to North Carolina. It has erect, herbaceous stems growing from a woody root. The flowers appear before the leaves in spike-like clusters at the ends of the branches. “Erythrina” is from the Greek, meaning “red” and refers to the color of the flowers, which are over an inch long and have the upper petal wrapped around the other petals. The leaves are 6-8 in. long and slender-stalked; they are divided into 3 broad leaflets.

The coral-bean belongs to a group of highly ornamental tropical plants. It does well in cultivation in Southern and Central Texas but is not suitable for a cut-flower, as the flowers soon drop off. The red beans are often used for necklaces. When the pods begin to open, the clusters may be gathered for winter decorations. The coral-tree (Erythrina cristagalli) from Brazil is common in cultivation and has broader and showier flowers than the coral-bean.

GERANIUM FAMILY (Geraniaceae)

Leaves simple or compound; sepals 4-5; petals mostly 5; stamens 5, 10, or 15, more or less united at base; carpels 3-5, prolonged into styles.

Crane’s Bill. Texas Geranium (Geranium texanum) is very much like the Carolina geranium. The small white flowers are inconspicuous, but the seed capsules with their long beaks resembling the crane’s bill are very noticeable. The scientific name is from the Greek meaning “crane.” The Texas geranium differs from the Carolina geranium in having pitted seed and fewer flowers. The cultivated geraniums belong to the Pelargonium group.

Stork’s Bill. Pine Needle (Erodium texanum) has fruits similar to the Texas geranium, but the beaks are much longer, 1-2 in. long. The short-stalked flowers are quite showy while they are open, but they close in the heat of the day. The wine-red petals are marked with delicate purple veins. The low spreading branches are 2-12 in. long. This plant grows on rocky limestone hillsides from Texas to California and blooms in April and May.

Pin-Clover. Filaree. Alfilaria (Erodium cicutarium) has finely-divided, lacy leaves and small pink flowers. It is used in some places as a forage crop.

FLAX FAMILY (Linaceae)

Leaves simple; sepals usually 5, free or united at base; petals usually 5, soon falling; stamens 5, united at base; styles 3-5, thread-like; capsules 3-5-celled.

Blue Prairie Flax (Linum lewisii) has lovely sky-blue flowers, 1-1½ in. across. The petals are veined with purple and drop off in the heat of the day or upon being disturbed. This flax is a slender, branched plant with a perennial root. It is very abundant on the prairies in the vicinity of Ft. Worth and Dallas, blooming there in May, and ranges to Arizona and Southern Canada. It may grow 1-2 ft. high, but in Texas it is often only about 8 in. high.

This flax is very much like the European perennial flax (Linum perenne) and the cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum), from which flax fiber is obtained. “Linum” is the ancient Latin name for the flax plants. Many of them are showy plants of horticultural importance; for even though the flowers last only a few hours, the plants bear a profusion of blooms. They are valuable for Texas gardens, as they do best in sunny places. Flaxes may often be identified by the dropping off of the petals.

Yellow Prairie Flax (Linum sulcatum) is a leafy, much-branched plant, 8-16 in. tall, with large yellow petals, orange-red and veined at the base. The leaves are narrow, about 1 inch long. The flaxes have 5 styles, sometimes united, as in this plant, and sometimes separate, but often remaining on the capsule until the seeds are shed.

The yellow flaxes are sometimes separated from the blue-flowered ones and called Cathartolinum. There are many of them in the state, most of them so closely related that only an expert can distinguish them. They bloom from March until June. In the southern part the commonest one is the dwarf flax (Linum multicaule), which has its stems densely covered with short leaves. Linum rigidum is a large-flowered flax with stiff stems common on prairies from Texas to Southern Canada. It has been reported as poisonous to sheep in the Pecos Valley.

WOOD-SORREL FAMILY (Oxalidaceae)

Leaves digitately or pinnately divided; sepals 5; petals 5; stamens 10, slightly united at base; ovary 5-celled; styles 5, free; fruit a capsule.

Drummond’s Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis drummondii) is also called sour-grass, vinegar-grass, oxalis, and violet wood-sorrel. It grows in dry soil from Central Texas to New Mexico, blooming in the late summer and fall. It has flowers like the violet wood-sorrel with similar basal leaves growing from a bulb. As a rule, the plants and flowers are larger and the leaflets are crescent-shaped. Oxalis flowers usually open in bright sunlight, and the leaves close at night.

Violet Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis violaceae) is very abundant in the woods of East Texas and on into the Western United States. The plants are generally about six inches high. Children often eat the leaves, but a considerable quantity will cause violent convulsions. The poisoning is due to the presence of oxalic acid crystals, which give a sour taste to the leaves.

The bulbs of many wood-sorrels are potted in the fall to provide house flowers in February and March. Drummond’s wood-sorrel makes an excellent border plant.

Yellow Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis texana) is a large flowered wood-sorrel in East Texas. The golden-yellow petals are about ¾ in. long. The flower stalk is about twice the length of the stem and leaves. It differs from the large-flowered wood-sorrel of the Southern States (Oxalis macrantha) by having smooth instead of hairy stamen filaments.

Many of the yellow wood-sorrels are common weeds throughout the state. There are many different species. The white or pink-flowered wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is considered by many people as the shamrock of Ireland; but others consider white clover (Trifolium repens) as the true shamrock.

Dichondra-Leaved Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis dichondraefolia) is a low plant of Southern Texas and Mexico which has pale yellow flowers like the yellow wood-sorrels, but the leaflets differ in being rounded and entire and resemble the leaves of the dichondras (see page 101).

MILKWORT FAMILY (Polygalaceae)