Texas State Flower-Bluebonnet
by Janette Boyd
Title
Texas State Flower-Bluebonnet
Artist
Janette Boyd
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Photo of bluebonnets, close up, photographed in Cedar Park, Texas, in north Austin.
Bluebonnets have been loved since man first trod the vast prairies of Texas. Indians wove fascinating folk tales around them. The early-day Spanish priests gathered the seeds and grew them around their missions. This practice gave rise to the myth that the padres had brought the plant from Spain, but this cannot be true since the two predominant species of bluebonnets are found growing naturally only in Texas and at no other location in the world.
As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, "It's not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat." He goes on to affirm that "The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland."
Bluebonnet is a name given to any number of species of the genus Lupinus predominantly found in southwestern United States and is collectively the state flower of Texas. The shape of the petals on the flower resembles the bonnet worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun. Species often called bluebonnets include:
Lupinus texensis, Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine
Lupinus havardii, Big Bend bluebonnet or Chisos bluebonnet
Lupinus argenteus, silvery lupine
Lupinus concinnus, Bajada lupine
Lupinus plattensis, Nebraska lupine
Lupinus subcarnosus, sandyland bluebonnet or buffalo clover
Uploaded
April 9th, 2014
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