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Barbara's Buttons

Marshallia caespitosa

Other common name(s):

Barbara's-buttons, Puffballs, White Barbara's-buttons

Family:

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Limestone Plains
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

0.75
to
1.5
ft.

Spread

5
to
1
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Forage, Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees

Maintenance

Good border edge or filler. Perennial garden, Rocky hillside, Rock gardens, Aromatic. Propagation: Thin, divide, transplant in spring.

Comments

Blooms April-June. This is a short lived perennial. Delicate balls of white, fragrant flowers form on slender, leafless stalks. Narrow leaves grow from a rosette. Rabbits browse this plant. Nectar for butterflies & other pollinators. Seed for Bluebirds.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 197. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MACA7. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Marshallia+caespitosa&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=3782&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=38064#null

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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