Bluebonnets and Paintbrushes 3 - Texas

Bluebonnet is a name given to any number of species of the genus Lupinus predominantly found in southwestern United States and is collectively the... more

by Brian Harig

Title

Bluebonnets and Paintbrushes 3 - Texas

Artist

Brian Harig

Medium

Photograph - Photographs - Photography - Photograph

Description

Bluebonnet is a name given to any number of species of the genus Lupinus predominantly found in southwestern United States and is collectively the state flower of Texas. The shape of the petals on the flower resembles the bonnet worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun.

Species often called bluebonnets include:

Lupinus texensis, Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine
Lupinus havardii, Big Bend bluebonnet or Chisos bluebonnet
Lupinus argenteus, silvery lupine
Lupinus concinnus, Bajada lupine
Lupinus plattensis, Nebraska lupine
Lupinus subcarnosus, sandyland bluebonnet or buffalo clover

On March 7, 1901, Lupinus subcarnosus became the only species of bluebonnet recognized as the state flower of Texas, however Lupinus texensis emerged as the favorite of most Texans. So, in 1971, the Texas Legislature made any similar species of Lupinus that could be found in Texas the state flower. Their deep-blue blossoms can be seen from March through May in most areas of Texas, as they are heavily planted on roadsides and highway rights of way.

Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Siberia. These plants are classified in the broomrape family, Orobanchaceae (following major rearrangements of the order Lamiales starting around 2001; sources which do not follow these reclassifications may place them in the Scrophulariaceae). They are hemiparasitic on the roots of grasses and forbs. The generic name honours Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo.

Uploaded

May 8th, 2014