Reality, though, is not quite the same as imagination! For starters, the individuals I've seen of fringed puccoon max out at about 10" tall. The flowers are pretty and ruffly...but rather small. From a far distance, it would be easy to mistake the buttercup yellow blooms as dandelions, given the short stature of the plants. Truthfully, the somewhat complicated sounding, scientific name of Lithospermum incisum is probably quite appropriate, given the plant's relative invisibility at any time of year except when it's in bloom.
Imagination aside, I was quite excited when I found a couple fringed puccoons in our grasslands during the first year we lived here. I'd never seen one before...and now I lived on land that was home to several!
Most years I see only one or two or three fringed puccoons, mainly in areas that have either been burned or that are mowed low. This year I'm seeing a dozen or more!
Now that's my definition of a tough plant! Despite last summer's extreme heat and drought, the fringed puccoons in my grasslands have multiplied and are blooming prolifically this spring! It's just one more example of why I love native plants. Now I just have to figure how to transplant or seed one or more into my more managed flower beds....
3 comments:
I hope you get some transplanted well. They are pretty. A little brightness for the prairie.
Thanks for playing along with my April Fool's joke today. I need to look for the fringed puccoon. I have never seen one before, but they are native to my part of Texas and could be a nice addition to my prairie.
I'm thinking that they would make a good border plant - their foliage has a rather nice texture and the flowers are quite pretty.
According to the guides, they are not all that uncommon in "disturbed" sites - but I suspect they are just likely to be more visible in areas that have been mowed.
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