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Purple and Blue Wildflower Gallery

Bilateral Symmetry - Legume Family

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

Texas Bluebonnet (Buffalo Clover) Lupinus texenis

Flower stalk about 4" tall and 1"-2" wide. Plant grows to 24" tall.

Photo taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2005

(Native of Texas)

Similar Species

Baiada Bluebonnet (Scarlet Lupine) Lupinus concinnus

(Native of Texas, Trans Pecos)

Bigbend Bluebonnet Lupinus havardii

Dune Bluebonnet (Nabraska Lupine) Lupinus plattensis

(Native of Texas, Western Panhandle)

Sandyland Bluebonnet Lupinus subcarnosus

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

Alfalfa Medicago sativa

Each flower about 3/8" long. Flower clusters 1"-2" tall. Plant is about 18" tall. Alfalfa plants have been in cultivation for nearly 4000 years to feed domesticated horses. They can tolerate extreme climatic conditions because their roots can grow more than 20 feet down.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May & August 2004

(Introduced from Europe, first cultivated in the Mid East)

Similar Species

Slimleaf Scurfypea (Wild Alfalfa) Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Psoralea tenuiflora)

(Native of Texas)

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

Platte Milkvetch (Platte River Milkvetch) Astragalus plattensis

Flower can be cream, purple, lilac, or greenish; 3/4"-1" long. Fat, 1/2" long, purple/brown pods are edible. Plant is somewhat sprawling.

Photo taken in Taylor County, Texas, March & April 2005

(Native of Texas)

Similar Species

Ground Plum (Ground Plum Milkvetch, Indian Pea) Astragalus crassicarpus

Fruit is rounder, red, and not hairy.

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

? Common Name? **zb 1** Scientific Name

Milkvetchs and Locoweeds are very similar.  The difference is that Locoweeds produce a toxin poisonous to livestock.

Each flower is about 1/2" tall, in bouquet clusters of 1-2" wide. Leaves are much smaller than flowers.  Pods are 1" long and narrow.  Upright plant grows to about 12" tall.  Pods are about 1" long.  In wet springs these plants create great mounds on roadsides, filling the air with the scent of grape cool-aid.   

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, March 2003, April 2005

(Native of Texas)

Hunting Similar Species

possibly   Slim-pod Milkvetch Astragalus leptocarpus

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

? Common Name? **zb 2** Scientific Name

Milkvetchs and Locoweeds are very similar.  The difference is that Locoweeds produce a toxin poisonous to livestock.

This is a very tiny version. The flower is about 3/16" wide in a cluster of 1-4. Leaves are small. Pods are 1/2" long and narrow. Plant grows 3-6" tall.

Photo taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2004, April 2005

(Native of Texas)

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

? Common Name? **zb 4** Scientific Name

Milkvetchs and Locoweeds are very similar. The difference is that Locoweeds produce a toxin poisonous to livestock.

This is a small version. The flower is 1/4"-3/8" wide in small clusters. Leaves are very large in comparison to the flowers. Pods are 1 1/2" long and narrow. Plant is somewhat sprawling and grows to about 12" tall.

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2005

(Native of Texas)

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Legume family

? Common Name? **zb 5** Scientific Name

Milkvetchs and Locoweeds are very similar. The difference is that Locoweeds produce a toxin poisonous to livestock. The flower is about 1/2" wide in large, tight clusters. Leaves are large in comparison to the flowers. Pods are 1" long and fat. Plant is sprawling and grows to about 12" wide.

Photo taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2005

(Native of Texas)

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