Wild Coneflowers may not be as brightly colored as their cultivated counterparts, but they arestill pretty.
Trichostema dichotomum, called Forked Blue-curls or Bastard Pennyroyal, is a
dainty fall-blooming member of the mint family. Its stamens are coiled like a watch
spring.
To either side of the road, the woods opens out. One open area was enlarged and
disturbed up during the construction of the sewer line. The builders used it as a turn-
around for their earth-moving equipment. Like the right of way, it was a mass of
Croton and Bitterweed for a few years but has since made a good recovery. In
the spring it is full of Vetch, Locoweed, and Bluebonnet. There are even a few
yuccas.
There is hardly a place in the Brazos valley that doesn't have Vetch in the spring. This is
Vicia ludoviciana.
Small Gum Bumelias (Bumelia lanuginosa) grow along the main road. This
nondescript tree is the only local member of the Sapotaceae.
Bumelias have soft, pubescent leaves and spiny branches. The small black fruits are
edible.
Purpletop, Tridens flavus, is a common grass in this part of the world. When it's
in flower, it has a distinctive odor and a somewhat "greasy" feel.
Along the roadsides of Texas, Indian Blanket or Firewheel is abundant in spring.
Gaillardia pulchella is the more colorful species.
Gaillardia aestivalis is less showy and is the one found most in the park.
Cnidoscolus texanus) are pretty...
...but the foliage is covered with nasty stinging hairs.
Bull Nettle doesn't look much like a member of the Euphorbiaceae or Spurge Family.
The seeds are edible, but it takes someone very brave to go in after them.
Another odd Euphorb is Stillingia sylvatica, Queen's Delight. Only the milky sap
and the three lobed fruits give it away.
Summer brings a luxuriant growth of Hoary Pea, Tephrosia onobrychoides. It
makes mounds about a foot tall, covered with pink flowers. The foliage is softly and
densely pubescent.
Dayflower is a close relative of the Spiderwort. The flowers do last only a day, a feature
which has led to another common name--Widow's Tears.
Linneaus named this genus Commelina after the Dutch Commelijn brothers. The
two eldest brothers were prominent botanists, represented by the two large blue petals,
while the small white petal signifies the third brother, who was somewhat less of an
achiever.
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