Bluebonnet (plant)

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Bluebonnet, Texas Bluebonnet-8100.jpg
Bluebonnet, Texas
Texas Bluebonnet -- Lupinus Texas Blue-Bonnet -- Lupinus.jpg
Texas Bluebonnet -- Lupinus

Bluebonnet is a name given to any of a number of purple-flowered or blue-flowered 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. [1] Species often called bluebonnets include:

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On March 7, 1901, Lupinus subcarnosus became the only species of bluebonnet recognized as the state flower of Texas; [2] however, Lupinus texensis emerged as the favorite of most Texans. So, in 1971, the Texas Legislature made any similar species of Lupinus that could be found in Texas the state flower. [3] [4] Despite the common belief among Texans that picking bluebonnets is illegal in the state, this is a myth, and there are no laws that specifically prohibit picking them. [5]

As an extension of Lady Bird Johnson's efforts at highway beautification in the United States (see Highway Beautification Act), she encouraged the planting of native plants along Texas highways after she left the White House. [6] Bluebonnet blooms are now a common sight along these highways in the springtime. [2] They serve as a popular backdrop for family photographs, and the Department of Public Safety issues safety recommendations with regard to drivers pulling off highways to take such pictures. [7]

Bluebonnets in media

Books

College football

The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football postseason bowl game in Texas, played in Houston in late December from 1959 through 1987.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lupinus</i> Genus of leguminous plants

Lupinus, commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur in North Africa and the Mediterranean. They are widely cultivated, both as a food source and as ornamental plants, but are invasive to some areas.

<i>Lupinus arboreus</i> Species of plant

Lupinus arboreus, the yellow bush lupine (US) or tree lupin (UK), is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae.

<i>Clematis texensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis texensis, commonly called scarlet leather flower, is a climbing vine in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is native to the United States, where it is endemic to the Edwards Plateau of Texas. Its natural habitat is on rocky limestone cliffs and streamsides.

<i>Lupinus texensis</i> Species of lupine

Lupinus texensis, the Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine is a species of lupine found in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. With other related species of lupines also called bluebonnets, it is the state flower of Texas.

<i>Lupinus nanus</i> Species of legume

Lupinus nanus, the sky lupine, field lupine, dwarf lupin, ocean-blue lupine or Douglas' annual lupine, is a species of lupine native to the western United States. It is found natively in California, Nevada, and on Steens Mountain in eastern Oregon. It tends to grow on slopes and in open or disturbed areas below 1300 meters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission blue butterfly</span> Subspecies of butterfly

The Mission blue is a blue or lycaenid butterfly subspecies native to the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. The butterfly has been declared as endangered by the US federal government. It is a subspecies of Boisduval's blue.

<i>Lupinus perennis</i> Species of legume

Lupinus perennis is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae.

<i>Lupinus bicolor</i> Species of legume

Lupinus bicolor is a species of lupine known as the miniature lupine, Lindley's annual lupine, pigmy-leaved lupine, or bicolor lupine.

<i>Lupinus albifrons</i> Species of legume

Lupinus albifrons, silver lupine, white-leaf bush lupine, or evergreen lupine, is a species of lupine (lupin). It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows along the coast and in dry and open meadows, prairies and forest clearings. It is a member of several plant communities, including coastal sage scrub, chaparral, northern coastal scrub, foothill woodland, and yellow pine forest.

<i>Lupinus havardii</i> Species of legume

Lupinus havardii is a species of lupine known by the common names Big Bend bluebonnet and Chisos bluebonnet. It is native to Texas and Chihuahua, where it blooms between January and June. Its habitat includes gravelly, fine talus, and the alluvial soils in the desert, valleys, hills, and mountain slopes.

<i>Lupinus affinis</i> Species of legume

Lupinus affinis is a species of lupine known by the common name fleshy lupine. It is native to the California Coast Ranges from the San Francisco Bay Area north, and into southern Oregon, where it is an uncommon member of the flora in several areas.

<i>Lupinus argenteus</i> Species of legume

Lupinus argenteus is a species of lupine known by the common name silvery lupine. It is native to much of western North America from the southwestern Canadian provinces to the southwestern and midwestern United States, where it grows in several types of habitats, including sagebrush, grassland, and forests. This is a perennial herb growing erect to heights anywhere between 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). It is sometimes silvery-hairy in texture and sometimes nearly hairless. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 9 leaflets each up to 6 centimetres long. They are narrow and linear in shape, under a centimetre wide. The inflorescence bears many flowers, sometimes arranged in whorls. The flower is 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 14 millimetres (0.55 in) long and purple, blue, or whitish in color. The banner, or upper petal, of the flower may have a patch of white or yellow. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 centimeters long containing several beanlike seeds. The plant is an important food source for butterflies. It also attracts birds and hummingbirds.

<i>Lupinus croceus</i> Species of legume

Lupinus croceus is a species of lupine known by the common names saffron-flowered lupine and Mt Eddy Lupine. It is endemic to the northernmost mountains of California, clustering in the Klamath Mountains, where it grows in generally dry, rocky habitat.

Lupinus elmeri is an uncommon species of lupine known by the common names Elmer's lupine and South Fork Mountain lupine. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from a few scattered occurrences in the northernmost slopes of the North Coast Ranges, in Trinity county.

Porfirio Salinas was an early Texas landscape painter who is recognized for his depictions of the Texas Hill Country in the springtime. He was one of the first Mexican American artists to become nationally recognized for his paintings. He was described by The New York Times as being United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite painter. Works by Salinas are displayed in the Texas State Capitol, the Texas Governor's Mansion and in a number of museums including the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas, and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.

A blue bonnet is a type of soft woollen hat that was the customary working wear of Scottish labourers and farmers.

<i>Lupinus kuschei</i> Species of legume

Lupinus kuschei, the Yukon lupine, is a species of flowering plant from the order of Fabales which can be found in Alaska and Western Canada.

Alamo Fire or Texas Maroon are names given to a maroon hybrid cultivar of Lupinus texensis, Texas' state flower.

<i>Lupinus villosus</i> Species of legume

Lupinus villosus, commonly known as lady lupine, pink sandhill lupine, or hairy lupine, is a flowering plant species in the genus Lupinus.

References

  1. "Lone Star Junction" . Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 Andrews, Jean. "Bluebonnet". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  3. "How Bluebonnets became the state flower". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  4. Parsons, Jerry M.; George, Steve; Grant, Greg. "Texas Bluebonnets--Texas Pride". Aggie Horticulture. Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  5. "Is it really illegal to pick bluebonnets? Here's what the rules say". KXAN Austin. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  6. "Our Environmental First Lady". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  7. "Information for the News Media" (Press release). Texas Department of Public Safety. 2004-03-11. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.