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Flora of West Texas |
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This page is under construction.
Larger photos coming soon when available.
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Century Plant ~ Agave americana
Also known as: Maguey Agave
Blue-gray foliage with toothed margin. Grows in thick, stemless rosettes.
Can grow very large in the ground or be contained as a potted plant.
Heat resistent, and is hardy even in freezing temperatures.
Blooms after 10 or more years, but like other agaves, it dies after it blooms. A similar species produces tequila in Mexico.
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Ornamental Agave ~ Agave univittata
Robust agave with many leaves that can become big with the proper care.
Quite variable species with a wide range of forms.
The typical species has gray-green, rough and fleshly leaves which are variously curved and serrated with paired teeth.
This native of Mexico is used as an ornamental plant in Texas. Like other agaves, the plant dies after it blooms.
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Lechuguilla ~ Agave lechuguilla
Also known as: Shindagger
Endemic indicator plant for the Chihuahuan Desert. Basal rosette of narrow, semi-succulent, pointed leaves (spines).
Blooms after 3-5 years with gold flowers on 3-12 ft stalk. Dies after blooming.
Prefers dry, alkaline, limestone soils. Roots eaten by deer and javelina, but is toxic to livestock.
Fibers in the leaves are very strong, and are used by Indians for making twine, rope, sandals, and nets.
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Spanish Dagger ~ Yucca torreyi
Also known as: Torrey Yucca and Palma de San Juan.
Clumping columnar rosettes. Blooms in late spring, followed by fleshy fruits. Does not produced every year.
Flowers and fruit are born on large stalks (up to 20 feet tall), and are eaten by humans and animals.
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Beaked Yucca ~ Yucca rostrata
Also known as: Palmita.
Native to the Chihuahuan Desert, these plants are extenxively used as ornamentals.
Typically found growing on rocky bajadas, slopes, or ridges that are comprised of limestone gravel. Beaked Yucca is a single-trunked
arborescent yucca that reaches heights of 6-15 feet. Mature plants may branch and become multi-headed.
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Faxon Giant Yucca ~ Yucca faxoniana
Also known as: Giant Dagger, Palma Samandoca, or Spanish Bayonet.
A seasonal evergreen, the Faxon Yucca has an upright trunk with a rosette of sharp-pointed leaves.
Blooms on a terminal stalk, 3-4 feet tall, emerging from the center of leaf rosette with showy display of 3 inch creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers.
Mexicans and Indians split trunks so cattle can feed on interior.
Indians ate fruit (reddish pods, 2-3 inches long, 1-2 inches wide) and immature flowers, boiled or roasted.
Trunks were used for huts and fence construction, and leaves used for thatched roofs.
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Red Yucca ~ Hesperaloe parviflora
A member of the lily family. Slow growing evergreen of clumping, stemless rosettes, 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
Stiff bright green leaves, up to 3 feet long with white fibers along the edges.
Blooms creamy-white flowers from February to July on red flower stalks, 12-15 feet tall.
Origin: Chihuahuan desert: Texas and northeastern Mexico. The strong leaf fiber is used in Mexico for making ropes.
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Members of the Opuntia genus:
There are many species of Prickly Pear cactus. All have flattened, oval or round stems (pads or joints)
that connect in sequence as the plant grows. Flowers are yellow, red or bi-colored, and bloom from April to June.
Red to purple fruit is eaten raw, made into jelly, or pickled. Cactus pads are fried or cooked as a vegetable.
In drought conditions the spines are burned off to prepare food for cattle. This genus is
closely related to the chollas which are also cold-hardy and do well in West Texas.
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Spineless Prickly Pear ~ Opuntia lindheimeri
This variety actually has numerous tiny spines at the areoles, and grows 3-10 feet in height.
Readily eaten by sheep and cattle.
Provides cover for birds. Wildlife feed on the pads and fruit. An especially good source of water for animals.
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Blind Prickly Pear ~ Opuntia rufida
Grows to 4 feet with wide, gray-green pads.
Thornless except fot the reddish-brown minute hair-like spines which are harmful to the eyes of grazing cattle that come in contact with the plant.
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Tasajillo ~ Opuntia leptocaulis
Also known as: Tesajo Cactus, Slender-stem Cactus, Garambullo,
Pencil Cholla, or Desert Christmas Cactus.
A thicket-forming cactus that stands from ½ to 6½ feet tall.
The red berries are eaten by white-tailed deer, quail, and turkey. Cactus wrens are known to nest in larger plants.
Barbed thorns are difficult to remove from flesh.
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Cholla ~ Opuntia imbricata
Also known as: Walking Stick Cactus or Tree Cactus.
Stands 3-10 feet in height and sometimes forms dense thickets.
Grows in gravelly to sandy soil. Joints are cylindrical and covered with spines.
The woody skeleton of the stem is dried out and made into a unique walking stick.
Fruit can be chopped, boiled and used as a dye.
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Dog Cactus ~ Opuntia schottii
Also known as: Dog Pear.
A nuisance to man and animals. Grows in dense clusters, making land almost unuseable.
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Claret Cup
Echinocereus trigiochidiatus Var. paucispinus
Also known as: Hedgehog, Strawberry Cactus
Has beautiful red flowers in early April, followed by a tasty fruit utilized like strawberries.
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NOTE: Acreage may be approximated. All information is supplied from sources deemed
reliable, but is not in any way warranted by Grace Realty Inc. or any agents representing Grace Realty Inc. Properties are
subject to prior sale, price changes or removal from the market at any time without notice.
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West Texas