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Texas Skeleton Plant

Lygodesmia texana

Other common name(s):

Texas Skeleton Weed, Skeleton-plant, Purple Dandelion, Flowering Straw

Family:

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Arid Llano Estacado, Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

.25
to
.5
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rocky, Alkaline, Calcareous, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Pink, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Nectar Insects

Maintenance

Do not overwater it or allow it to be overcrowded by other plants in the garden. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms April-September. Texas Skeleton Plant has smooth, almost leafless stems. Its few leaves are at the base of the plant and are narrow, gray-green, with short lobes. The bare stems, growing at odd angles, suggest its common name. The tubular flower grows singly at the end of flower stems. When the stems are broken, they exude sap which coagulates into a gum.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Lygodesmia aphylla var. texana

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LYTE. 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=3742&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Lygodesmia+texana&formsubmit=Search+Terms, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=503625#null

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