Bluebonnet is a State Flower of Texas
(Picture courtesy of Wikipedia)
Bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.
Bluebonnet is a plant which
begins its life in the fall as a small, gravel-like seed. The seed
has a hard seed coat that must be penetrated by wind, rain, and
weather over the course of a few months (but sometimes several
years). Growth continues over the mild winter months and then in the
spring will take off and rapidly grow larger, before sending up a
20-50 cm tall plume of blue flowers (with bits of white and
occasionally a tinge of pinkish-red).
A Bluebonnet plant is a
biennial plant which is a flowering plant that takes two years
to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant
grows leaves, stems, and roots (vegetative structures), then it
enters a period of dormancy over the colder months. Usually the stem
remains very short and the leaves are low to the ground, forming a
rosette. Many biennials require a cold treatment, or vernalization,
before they will flower. During the next spring or summer, the stem
of the biennial plant elongates greatly, or "bolts". The bluebonnet
plant then flowers, producing fruits and seeds before it finally
dies.
Because of the Texas weather,
openness
and size, you can see bluebonnet almost everywhere, including along
the roads, highways, mountains, parks, and even in some backyards.
The picture above shows bluebonnets in a field across a road in Texas. Again, bluebonnet flower is the state flower of
Texas and it is illegal to pick them up.
