Bluebonnets

by CMG Betty J

Perhaps the most famous member of the Legume (bean and pea) family in the Hill Country is our very own Texas Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis.  Bluebonnets have been the state flower of Texas since 1901 and in 1971, Texas legislators voted to make all of the six species in Texas the state flower. This group consists of Lupinus texensis, concinnus, argenteus, harvardii, subcarnous and plattensis. 

Texensis is a winter annual herb that grows to about 16” tall on mostly erect stems. They can be found in the spring in fields, meadows and along roadsides in the Hill Country. It is sometimes called wolf flower, Texas lupine or buffalo clover.  Many homeowners encourage the flowers to cover their property by allowing bluebonnets to self-seed after their bloom period and by resisting the urge to tidy the yard by mowing the leggy plants until the seed pods burst and drop the seeds for the next season’s flower show. 

To plant bluebonnets, sow the seeds in the early fall and lightly rake them into the ground.  Fall rains will germinate the seeds and a rosette the size of a silver dollar and slightly hairy, white edged leaves will grow over the winter and form a root system.

Bluebonnet Rosette

Leaf and stem production will begin when the days lengthen and the temperatures warm.  Blooms will follow.  The seeds have a hard shell that needs to be softened in order to germinate.  In nature, rain, sun, and wind accomplish this.  Commercial seeds are usually “scarified”, that is, the seed case is thinned by abrasion or moisture.

March and April are the prime bluebonnet bloom months in the Hill Country.  The flowers are about 1” long with five bright blue petals and a white spot at the base; they form a cluster about 5” tall with as many as 50 flowers.  The individual flowers mature from the bottom and the white spot turns a reddish pink when the flower has been pollinated.  There are some recessive genes within the species that produce rare white or maroon flowers.  Seeds for the maroon variety are available in limited quantities.

It is not unusual to see an entire field covered with bluebonnets.  The Texas Highway Department often spreads bluebonnet seeds on the edges of highways, a practice begun when Lady Bird Johnson fostered her highway beautification campaign.  The flowers also help prevent erosion.  There have been sightings of some precocious plants blooming as early as Valentine’s Day.

Bluebonnet Field