Welcome to Catnapin's

Purple and Blue Wildflower Gallery

Tube Flowers

  

Hydrophyllaceae - Waterleaf family
Sand-bell Nama hispidum
Lavender flower about 3/16" wide. Plant at right is about 3" tall. Leaves are thick and very hairy.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, June 2002, April 2004
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)

                 

Apocynaceae - Dogbane family
Blue Star Amsonia ciliata
Flower is 1/2" wide and 1/2" long. The tube is covered by white hair. Plant shown is about 24" tall. Leaves are thin straps that grow close together all the way up the stalk. The bee that drinks from the tube has a very long beak. Seed pods are long thin tubes that when dry split to drip out segments of seeds. Cows do not eat this plant.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)

           

Polemoniaceae - Phlox family
Prickleleaf Gilia (Spiny Bluebowls) Giliastrum acerosum (Gilia rigidula)
This plant's Genus name has changed from the one mentioned in most guide books.
Dark violet flower 1/2"-1" wide with white center and striped underside. Needle-like leaves are about 1" long. Groundcover grows to about 2" high. Flowers fade in the heat of the day.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April & September 2004, March 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)
See similar Phlox

Similar Species

Splitleaf Gilia Giliastrum incisum
Blue flower with prominent yellow and white eye. Lower leaf rosette are deeply lobed. Upper leaves are double ribs only.
(Native of Texas - Taylor)

Bluebowls Giliastrum rigidulum
Similar to Giliastrum acerosum but with less leaves.
(Native of Texas - Jones)

        

Convolvulaceae - Morning-glory family
Shaggy Evolvulus Evolvulus nuttallianus
Flower 1/2"-1" wide. The leaves are thick and fuzzy. Plant stems can be upright or trailing to about 8" long. The dryer it is the closer the flowers grow to the stem. Pod is a golden ball.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April - June 2004, April-May 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Coke, Fisher)
See similar   Silver Dwarf Morning-glory    Texas Bindweed    Morning-glory

  

Plumbaginaceae - Leadwort family
Plumbago Pulmbago auriculata
Bright blue flower is 1/2"-3/4" wide with a 3/4" long tube. Leaves have hairy edges. Mounding plant.
Photos taken in Coleman County, Texas, September 2005
(Purchased, native of Africa)

     

Acanthaceae - Acanthus family
Cuban Petunia Ruellia simplex
Flower is about 1" wide with a 3/4" long tube. Leaves are bright green, about 1" long. Upright plant about 10" tall.
Photos taken in Val Verde County, Texas, August 2005
(Introduced)

                 

Acanthaceae - Acanthus family
Mexican Petunia Ruellia brittoniana
Flowers most often purple but can be white, pink, and lavender, 2" wide and 2" long. Long narrow leaves about 5" long. Stems have reddish coloration. Upright and branching plant to about 3 feet tall.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, October 2005, September 2006
(Native of Texas, cultivated)

Similar Species

Hairy Wild Petunia Ruellia humilis
Lavender with purple center. Hairy stems and leaves. Leaves wide. Barbed hairy seedpods.
(Native of Texas - Taylor)

Metz's Wild Petunia Ruellia metziae
Small plant with flower at top. Leaves vary in shape.
(Native of Texas - Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Violet Wild Petunia Ruellia nudiflora
Flowers white, lavender or purple clustered at top of plant. Leaves wide but not to long, crinkled edge. Stem has a gap between leaves and flowering head.
(Native of Texas - Brown)

Limestone Wild Petunia Ruellia strepens
One or two purple flowers from leaf node. Leaves much bigger than flower.
(Native of Texas - Brown)