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Purple and Blue Wildflower Gallery

Cone & Ball Shapes

              

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Narrow-leaf Gayfeather (Cusp Blazing Star) Liatris mucronata
This Genus' common names have changed from Gayfeather mentioned in most guide books to be more politically correct. Individual flower 1/4"-1/2" wide. Flower spike grows to 6"-8" long. Leaves are very narrow with longest at bottom. Plant grows to about 24" tall. This plant can be transplanted.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, October 2002, November 2004
Fruiting photos taken in Coleman County, Texas, September 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)

Similar Species

Dotted Blazing Star Liatris punctata
Flowers seem to spiral up spike. Spike much longer.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)

Variant ?

  

This could be another species but I haven't discovered one that matches.
Instead of a single spike, this plant's flower spike is made up of multiple small spikes. These tend to be heavy so the branches recline.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, November 2004

              

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Woolly Ironweed Vernonia lindheimeri
Flower head about 1/2" high in loose clusters. Stems, branches, and flower heads covered in gray felt. Plant 2-3 feet tall with stems at base forming a clump. Each stem branches at the top to form flower clusters. Narrow leaves are 1"-5" long.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, June 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Coleman, Coke)

Similar Species

Baldwin's Ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
Similar to Vernonia lindheimeri except: flowers are spaced wide, flower bracts are red; leaves are wide.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Brown)

Plains Ironweed Vernonia marginata
Similar to Vernonia baldwinii except: flowers have longer petals; leaves are narrow.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Shackelford, Runnels, Coke, Nolan)

     

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family
Purple Prairie Clover Dalea compacta
Flower spike 1"-2" long. Multiple, slender stems grow to about 12" tall. Good forage for livestock. Indians used the leaves to make tea and chewed on the roots.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, June 2005
(Native of Texas - Coleman)
See similar    pink Dalea     yellow Dalea     white Dalea

Similar Species

Woolly Prairie Clover Dalea lanata
Spike of red/purple flowers with very long white anthers, blooming bottom to top. Declined except for flowering spikes. Short pinnate leaves with oval leaflets.
(Native of Texas - Nolan, Coke)

Purple Dalea Dalea lasiathera
Flower spikes curl upward, purple flowers have orange/yellow anthers. Many relaxed stems from woody roots, 1 foot tall.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Coleman, Brown, Runnels, Nolan)

Silky Prairie Clover Dalea villosa
Spike with wide ring of lavender flowers that bloom from the bottom. Erect to 20" tall. Leaves, stems, and flower spike are downy bluish. Small pinnate leaves with linear leaflets. Tip leaflet smallest.
(Native of Texas - Jones, Callahan, Fisher)