Coastal Prairie Natives

By Mary Beth McCaughey, President, FBMG S2000

 

(Reprinted from the Coastal Prairie Reporter, the newsletter of the Coastal Prairie Texas Master Naturalists)

 

The beautiful weather this time of year beckons us outside to enjoy the cool breezes and moderate humidity – before the full onslaught of summer. I didn’t grow up here, but as a naturalist and an avid gardener I’ve learned to appreciate the periods of temperate weather and also to tolerate the extreme heat and humidity of summer that comes with living on the coastal prairie. I guess you could say I’ve adapted – thanks to the advent of air conditioning!

 

Realizing what it takes to exist in this climate has made me appreciate the plants that are native to this part of Texas. In order to have thrived here since before the area was settled, plants had to be drought tolerant and able to take periods of wet, they had to be resistant to common insects and pests and they had to be able to thrive in heavy clay soils. It’s not easy, but thankfully there are many, many plants that are native here. They are part of the balance of nature, providing food and habitat for birds and other animals.

 

Let’s look at two plants not often found in urban landscapes, but ones you might recognize from a walk in the woods or a visit to a park this time of year.

 

Herbertia (Herbertia lahue)

Herbertia is a member of the Lily family (Iridaceae) that

grows in both clay and sandy soils in the grasslands of

eastern and coastal Texas. This small iris (mature height

normally 6”-8”) grows in sunny, grassy places where it is

often hidden unless the grass is short. It can form

extensive colonies to make a carpet of lavenderblue in the

spring. The blossoms of Herbertia open in the morning and

close by mid-afternoon, with each flower lasting only a day.

The two-inch flowers are formed by six tepals. The three

outer tepals are widespreading, pale to deep violet, whitish

near the base, with violet spots bordered with purple. Inner

tepals are much smaller, dark purple at the base and pale

violet at the tip. The colony blooms for one to two weeks in

late

 

April and early May. Once the colony has bloomed out, the

seed has ripened, and the bulb is renewed, Herbertia

disappears until the following spring. I’ve observed small

clumps of Herbertia on walks at Brazos Bend State Park

and the Nash Ranch but it wasn’t until I come upon a field

of them in bloom at Duhacsek Park in Sugar Land that I

came to fully appreciate the beauty of this plant. I was

ortunate to be in the park one day when the Herbertia was in bloom across

several acres of open area – it was as if there was a lavender cloud hovering

several inches above the ground. Really beautiful!

 

Woolybucket Bumelia

(Sideroxylon lanuginosum)

Sideroxylon lanuginosum is known by a variety of common

names, including Woolybucket Bumelia, Chittamwood, and

Coma. Until recently the plant was classified as Bumelia

lanuginosa, which is why the plant is often referred to as

Bumelia.

 

Bumelia is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of 80

feet and can be found in open woods or along fence rows

in all areas of Texas except the High Plains. The nearly

evergreen leaves are thick and usually dark green on the

upper surface and fuzzy white or gray underneath.

Lanuginosum means "having soft, downy hairs", in

reference to the hair on the leaf undersides and twigs of

this species (the unfurled leaves in early spring are the

wooly buckets). Small white flowers bloom in midsummer

and have a sweet and penetrating fragrance. Inch long,

oval blue-black berries ripen in the fall making the tree a

favorite of birds seeking food and shelter. The twigs are

often armed with thorns at the tips. Cut wood exudes a milky

sap. Bumelia is in the same family (Sapote) as the tropical sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota) which is the source of the chicle used in chewing gum.

 

Children of early pioneers sometimes chewed the sap that oozed from cracks and wounds in the bark of Bumelia trees.

 

Coastal Prairie Master Naturalist Val Fogal was the first to identify the Bumelias at Duhacsek Park during some of our early explorations. She and her husband Rob have at least one of them growing along the creek on their property in Fort Bend County.

 

Sources:

USDA Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov

Pacific Bulb Society: http://pacificbulbsociety.org

Aggie Horticulture: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

Native Texas Plants by Sally Wasowski and Andy Wasowski

100 Texas Wildflowers by Dorothy Baird Mattiza for the

Native Plant Society of Texas