A bit of botany
Thought some of you might like to see the two plants I thought might be closely related (in the same genus) that turned out not to be.
Here is Skeleton Plant, Lygodesmia texana (ignore the wasp on the other side of the flower.) It stands up to a couple of feet tall on a naked stem. Notice the square-cut ends of the petals with ragged or fringed ends, and the curly-string-like styles in the middle. It starts out as a rosette of leaves on the ground, then the stalk shoots up...but the leaves have often withered away by then.
And here is White Rock Lettuce, Pinaropappus roseus, which also stands high on a naked stem, and has the same square-cut, but jaggedy, petal ends, and the same curly-string-like styles. But instead of one row of petals, there are more. Its basal rosette persists and there are leaves further up the stem than with Skeleton Plant.
Either one is a lovely wildflower to see floating high above the ground, apparently weightless.
Here is Skeleton Plant, Lygodesmia texana (ignore the wasp on the other side of the flower.) It stands up to a couple of feet tall on a naked stem. Notice the square-cut ends of the petals with ragged or fringed ends, and the curly-string-like styles in the middle. It starts out as a rosette of leaves on the ground, then the stalk shoots up...but the leaves have often withered away by then.
And here is White Rock Lettuce, Pinaropappus roseus, which also stands high on a naked stem, and has the same square-cut, but jaggedy, petal ends, and the same curly-string-like styles. But instead of one row of petals, there are more. Its basal rosette persists and there are leaves further up the stem than with Skeleton Plant.
Either one is a lovely wildflower to see floating high above the ground, apparently weightless.