Friday, June 27, 2008

An “Overlooked” Wildflower Species


By Phyllis Dolich

You may be wondering, in my previous blogs, why I have listed 122 “wildflower” species – but I refer to my having observed 123 in my introduction to the global warming analysis.

The 122 listed species are all included in Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country by Marshall Enquist – this book is pretty much our bible around here and Enquist has done an outstanding job. I would have been totally lost without it over the years as my copy well attests to – it is literally falling apart at the seams.

However, Enquist - and just about every other Texas wildflower guidebook - has overlooked one species that I’m sure just about everyone has seen on the trail in late summer. It is Smallanthus uvedalius (L.) Mackenzie ex Small - a member of the Sunflower Family, Asteraceae. The tiny yellow flower gets lost in lots of foliage - and huge leaves. Listed officially as “hairy leafcup”, I have heard it referred to as “Bear’s Foot”, which, to me, describes the leaf size and shape perfectly.


1 comment:

Hog Hunting Texas said...

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