R is for....

Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

   Today I have a couple of hardy souls. Both grow in limestone with very little soil. The first one is "Rock Rose" Pavonia lasiopetala. Despite the name this little flower is not a member of the rose family, it is a close relative of the hibiscus family. It naturally grows in the crevices of limestone and the dry areas of the Edwards Plateau, West Texas and south Texas. But the wildlife and cattle like it so much, that it is easier to find it transplanted into gardens. The drought tolerance and long bloom times make it a popular choice. This plant blooms from February all the way through November.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   The next one is "Rock Daisy" Perityle lindheimeri. There are 15 varieties of "Rock Daises" in Texas that grow on the limestone cliffs, only one variety grows in dirt. The "Lindheimer's Rock Daisy" grows on the cliffs in the Edward's Plateau and blooms off and on through out the year, from April through September.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

Q is for....

Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

      Q is for "Quartervine"   Bignonia capreolata also known as "Crossvine". This woody vine was originally found in East Texas but has now naturalized in many parts of the state. The vine can grow to 50 feet. Around my house, you can find these flowers by looking up... way up in the trees. The flower colors have variations from bright red and yellow to solid orange, red and others. 

Picture by Pamela Jo

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

Photographer: Marcus, Joseph A of Austin Texas

P is for....

Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

   For P I have another vine. "Pasionaria"   Passiflora incarnata or "Passionflower". This plant is also known as "Apricot Vine" and "Maypop". This vine can be found all over the eastern half of Texas. Beside the showy flowers this vine also produces an edible fruit. In his book "Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf" by John Muir. He states the apricot vine has "the most delicious fruit I have ever eaten."  

   The fruit ripens from yellowish to light brown. The pulp of the Passionflower is sweet and fruit when ripe. But, if it gets over ripe it has a fermented foul taste.

   There has been discoveries that suggest the Native Americans use to cultivate the vine for the fruit as well as medicinal use. Even today the dried and fresh whole plant is used in Germany, France and other European countries for nervous anxiety.

    I find this one around my house a lot, but I have never tried the fruit. I think I will this summer. Isn't the A to Z great I am learning new things everyday.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

Picture for Wikipedia

O is for....

Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

   O is for "Obedient plant"   Physostegia digitalis. This flowering plant get its name from the fact that when you move the flower to the side it will stay in that position. (I could think of some people and dogs I wish this worked on.) 

   This plant grows 3 to 5 feet high. This showy flower is found in the open, often wet area of East Texas. It has also been cultivated for gardens and with these beauties I can see why. As I am sure you already guessed the butterflies and hummingbirds like these flowers as well. The blooms show up from June through August.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

N is for...

Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

   Can you beleive we are now over the halfway point on the A to Z? Yes we are on the downhill side, but we also have some of the toughest letters coming up. V, U, X and Z. I have them all covered but one. I leave it to you to figure out which one it is.

  Today is the letter N and n is covered. N stands for "Net-vein Milkvine"  Matelea reticulata. I love the little star flowers of this plant. They do look like the netting from tutus with a little pearl attached to the middle (or is that just my dance background speaking). This milkvine is the most common on in the Edwards Plateau in Texas, but can also be found in far West Texas, as well as south, and central Texas. The plant gives off an unpleasant odor when brushed and, as the name suggests, has a milky sap. The vine blooms from April all the way through October. 

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   Oh and you might be wondering what the Edwards Plateau is. Well it is a raised plateau of mostly limestone with very little soil. It is bordered on 2 sides by the that is bordered on 2 sides by the Balcones Fault. That is speculated to be the end of the Ouachita Mountains that run through Arkansas and Oklahoma.