Texas Skeleton plant The Texas Skeleton plant Lygodesmia texana is also called: Texas Skeleton Plant, Texas Skeleton Weed, Skeleton-plant, Purple Dandelion, Flowering Straw.
According to Texas A&M AgriLife, “Skeleton Plant has a slender stock and fleshy root system. It can range in size from twelve to twenty-four inches in height. Most flowers are found in open, sandy to clayey sites or slopes and prairies of the South Texas Plains and the Edwards Plateau. The leaves are four to six inches long and the purple flower is 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter. Skeleton Plant blooms from April to August.”
When you are walking through fields, along trails and you view the Skeleton plant from the side you will see why it is called a skeleton plant. It has very few branches extending from it’s stalk, like a “skeleton crew.” They are a hardy perennial herb native to the Highland Lakes area. So, don’t just stop and smell the roses, look for purple too. 🙂
Upper Highland Lakes Nature Center 