A weed in a lawn, garden beds, and with potted plants.
Seedling photo taken about two years later.
Acalypha gracilens and A. rhomboidea compared here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189657165
Williamson County, Texas; North San Gabriel River east of Camp Tejas
10/15/2020
Amphiachyris dracunculoides
Impatient pics on a windy, cloudy day. Plants scattered sporadically from here to at least the low water crossing on river terrace occasionally flooded when Lake Georgetown backs up in some years. Don't think I have seen these in this area before, so perhaps washed in from upstream fields. Just for fun some Gutierrezia texana occur in the same area.
National Butterfly Center
This is the actual native Passiflora foetida, not to be confused with the introduced P. lanuginosa that the vast majority of people of Texas are more familiar with and usually is mistakenly called P. foetida. You can use the distinctions listed below to tell the two species apart.
In our area:
P. lanuginosa:
Usually larger darker leaves with the lobes usually being larger, more angular, and coming to a point
Stems and leaves can be anywhere between hairless to densely hairy
Leaves have little to no smell when lightly rubbed
Pink/white/pink coronal filaments with pinkish petals/sepals (occasionally white)
Hairless fruit that turns red at full maturity
An introduced species, usually found on disturbed sites / around human habitation
Aggressive growth habit; spreading
P. foetida:
Usually smaller lighter green leaves with the same basic shape as the leaves of P. lanuginosa, although with smaller more rounded lobes, usually not coming to a defined point
Leaves densely hairy; truly velvet-like in texture
Leaves give off a strong funky smell when lightly rubbed (to me it smells like cheese)
Bluish-purple coronal filaments with white petals/sepals
Hairy fruit that stays green at full maturity
Native species usually found on less disturbed sites; in Texas limited to south Texas
Smaller, less vigorous species than P. ciliata; not spreading
Reaches the northern limit of its range in Texas around the northside of San Antonio
Here is a good example of actual P. foetida:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/86986821
US Passiflora key:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=124132
Mills County, Texas; Timberlake Biological Field Station bioblitz
6/24/2023
Aphanostephus skirrhobasis
Large patch of plants. Annuals. Under magnification (40x), at least some achene hairs appear coiled apically, indicating A. skirrhobasis over A. ramosissimus. It is unclear if all achene hairs are coiled this way as even at 40x, it is not always easy to see. In the field, with a 30x pocket scope, I could only tell that some hairs might be apically thickened or possibly hooked and I was unable to capture any of these hairs well via macro lens in the field. Turner's work on Aphanostephus (Taxonomy of the Genus Aphanostephus (Asteraceae-Astereae) - 1984) makes it sound as if this morphology should be clear at 30x magnification, but that was not my experience (though I don't have the best scope). He apparently originally discovered the difference in hair morphology when examining chromosome numbers via meiotic squashes, so it is possible that he was used to seeing them under higher magnification. There is a line drawing in his work which shows the difference in hair morphology, and it shows some differences which I think would only be visible under higher magnification. On the specimens I examined, the achene hairs were on the order of .1mm long.
Turner also mentioned sometimes finding up to three Aphanostephus species "cohabitating" or even "intermixing" in the case of A. skirrohobasis and A. ramosissimus, so while this observation indicates the presence A. skirrhobasis at this particular spot at Timberlake, it does not rule out the possibility of A. ramosissimus elsewhere. It does cast doubt on observations that have been identified to species where the achene hairs have not been examined, which is probably all of them.
I find it curious that the Flora of North Central Texas, which cites Turner's work, does not reference the difference in achene hair morphology, instead using other features which seem difficult to use. The pappus however did seem scaly rather than hairy, though the scales seemed numerous rather than limited to 5 as suggested for A. skirrhobasis.
Mills County, Texas; Timberlake Biological Field Station bioblitz
6/25/2023
Croton texensis
Small group of plants (both sexes) on edge of grassy field.
Mills County, Texas; Timberlake Biological Field Station bioblitz
6/24/2023
Xanthisma texanum
Mills County, Texas; Timberlake Biological Field Station bioblitz
6/23/2023
Lindernia sp.
Common around this particular seasonal pond.
While I suspect that this might in some way qualify as L. anagallidea, I did not take a close look at all the features, particularly the lower leaves. There has apparently been some disagreement on how to treat forms fitting L. anagallidea. The Flora of North Central Texas treats it as L. dubia var. anagallidea, while noting that some authors recommend lumping it with L. dubia var. dubia. Weakley (2023) lists it as a species, but notes under L. dubia var. dubia that some authors apparently treat them as forms of the same species.
Mills County, Texas; Timberlake Biological Field Station bioblitz
6/23/2023
Xanthisma texanum
Common to abundant.
Kerr County, Texas; Kerr WMA
6/13/2023
Zeltnera calycosa
Nice sized patch on north side of road across from one of the informational kiosks. One of a multitude of Z. calycosa specimens I observed throughout the day. This specimen was single stemmed with corolla lobes about 7.5x3.5mm, the tube about 12 mm, and calyx about 10.5mm. The largest leaf, towards the base, was about 15x4.5mm. This specimen was one of the most robust at this spot. Most at this spot were single stemmed from what I could tell, but I definitely saw other spots where the specimens appeared multi-stemmed and some spots where single stemmed plants were growing so close together as to appear to be multi-stemmed.
This is Lantana camara. Lantana camara was introduced over a century ago on this island and is a self-sustained introduced population. The plant has not proven to be particularly invasive here, the climate is perhaps too wet for Lantana camara to outcompete the many other invasives on the island. Note that the computer vision top choice was Lantana horrida, and Lantana × urticoides was a third option. This, for me, explains the frequent misidentification of Lantana camara as Lantana horrida or Lantana × urticoides.
Note too how the colors shift: the seventh image suggests that some florets were yellow, but to the naked eye they were clearly orange. Exposure choices made by my Motorola Moto G6 altered the colors from what is seen in person.
As for the ID, note the finely toothed margins, the reduced floral bractlets, the flat blade. This observation is a good example of a lantana that does not have the lavender/fuchsia/pink florets but rather has the floret color spectrum of Lantana × urticoides and yet is fully Lantana camara.
Roadside. Capsules 8+mm. Sepals 5mm, spreading hairs. Anthers 1.5mm, largest leaves 15cm x 3mm. Aphids.
On the bank of a runoff creek. Lower bracts were small, upper bracts very long. Pores large.
I noticed ants were eating from dark spots on this vetch. I don't know what the dark spots are, but they were on all the plants, so not created by the ants.
El Camino Real TMN field trip to Mother Neff State Park.
Suna and I investigate a small meadow area.
Bastrop County, Texas; McKinney Roughs
4/19/2023
Linum imbricatum
Patch of plants in light colored sandy soil which seems to have accumulated on a flat part of the mostly downhill Bluff Trail Loop. Distinguished from L. hudsonioides (which occurs in the nearby uplands of the park) by the ciliate margins found on some upper leaves. It was quite difficult to see the ciliate margins. With a 10x loop I could only see what might have been ciliate margins, but also could have been hairs on the adjacent stem. With a 30x pocket microscope, I could see that there were ciliate margins on at least some of the upper leaves (midstem and upwards), but it did not appear that all the margins were ciliate. Photography of these minute cilia was also difficult since I could never tell if they were in focus and they did not respond well to the direct light of the onboard flash.
I arrived at these plants early in the afternoon and within about 45 minutes almost all of the petals had fallen (or popped off in a ring), as they tend to do in these species.
Plants were up to about 11cm. Petal lobes (measured from top center in flower) were about 8mm.
Found this patch based on this recent observation:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155017445
A last note. Although all the plants within about a 5 meter radius appeared to be L. imbricatum, there was an isolated individual in the taller vegetation about 20-30m away which appeared to be L. hudsonioides.
Bastrop County, Texas; McKinney Roughs
4/17/2023
Linum hudsonioides
Probably Linum hudsonioides. Small patch in flower along Ridge trail in sparsely gravelly compacted sandy soil. For the most part, the leaves appeared entire, not ciliate margined as in L. imbricatum. However, it does appear that this population had some occasional really minute cilia at the base of some leaves. I don't know if that occurs in other populations or maybe because there be some slight intermediacy in this area due to the proximity of L. imbricatum (maybe just a few hundred meters away on the Bluff Trail).
Plants were to about 15cm tall, with petals approximately 8-9mm.
Had such a great time with fellow iNatters at Timberlake Field Station. iNat is a community! :) Still working on the ID's for many of these, but I'd never turn down assistance!
Williamson County, Texas, Garey Park
4/1/2023
Geranium texanum
After seeing sporadic occurrences of Geranium carolinianum on the lowland trails thoughout the day, I finally find a couple of specimens of G. texanum at the end of the loop only a few meters from where I started the hike, in the heavily mowed margin of the trail near the gate in a sea of Medicago minima. By this late in the day the petals on the one bloom I found were already falling off, and some had done so by the time I finished handling the plant to take photos.
Dallas County, Texas; Thomas Jefferson Park
4/13/2021
Geranium texanum
A few specimens in slightly longer vegetation closer to edge of pond. The rest of the park was mowed short. Confirmation of previous sighting in this park I think.
Dallas county, Texas; Cedar Hill State Park
4/12/2021
Geranium texanum
Small patch in shady area in disturbed ground behind the nearby bathroom. Most plants not blooming yet. Note the anthers are pinkish with purple lines, which is how they often look when the flower has opened but the anthers have not. A photo from about 8 hours later shows the opened anthers appearing more purplish and the petals already falling off.
Found in grassy area near back of building at GCBO near Buffalo Camp Bayou
Made some observations while waiting for my grandson's one act play practice to be over.
These have been under my feet this entire time? All are past flowering stage while the Tomostima platycarpa are fruiting and flowering.
This seems the likely species based on some of the info I've seen.
Williamson County, Texas; Lake Georgetown Overlook
1/9/2023
Tomostima cuneifolia
The only ones I have seen at this particular spot. Definitely didn't have the right lens on for macro work.
Found on a frequently mowed roadside, where abundant, and placed in a pot and observed over about six weeks.
Lawn weed, most common in less frequently mowed areas. The last two photos (fruit) photographed in May 2011.
Plants photographed over several years in a weedy area of a lawn.
Seeds become mucilaginous when wet.
Growing rather lushly just outside the wooden fence of a doggie day care center.