finding new plants for the county

Amateur naturalists living in Midland County have been keeping local records of native flora and fauna for over fifty years. In the 1950’s, a number of these folks formed the Midland Naturalists to study the natural world of the southern Llano Estacado. Sightings of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians have been recorded over the years, and checklists of these organisms have been published in the organization’s newsletter, The Phalarope. Plant records began to be kept in the 1960’s.

With years and years of such data collection, one might think it would be difficult to find new birds, mammals, plants, or other organisms to add to the checklists. Surprisingly enough, something new gets added every year. Already this year, three plants of interest have been added.

The first was actually unknowingly discovered last year when Deborah and I were out cruising county roads a week or two after a rare rainfall. Curious about which plants were continuing to survive the drought and desperate to see a wildflower, we puttered along a dirt road at 10 miles an hour. Each time a different species was spotted in bloom, we jumped out of the car and did the “I don’t care if it IS purple nightshade” dance.

Soil in the southeast part of the county is quite different from the sandy soil that is found in town. Gravel ridges meet outcroppings of Edwards Limestone and are dotted by salt playas, with their attendant loess blowout silts.

Close to the former Stephenson Schoolhouse site and the old caliche pit nearby, we spotted a rhizomatous Artemisia with 8-inch stalks which we believed to be a smallish specimen of Artemisia ludoviciana. Loosening the soil around one part of the plant, we separated a single stalk with six inches of rhizome, which we then placed in a plastic bag with wet paper towels.

A year after transplanting the stalk, this Artemisia has spread into a broad clump, though the stalks remain 8-10 inches tall. With the help of several definitive works on native Texas plants, we identified this “new” species as Artemisia carruthii. Correll and Johnson’s Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas says it is rarely found in the High Plains of Texas, but is abundant in the Davis Mountains. It has proven to be easily propagated from rhizome cuttings.

This spring, we went for another drive after 10 inches of rain flooded the same part of the county. Along the “Salt Lake” road that leads to Midkiff, we noticed a line of Four-Wing Saltbush (Atriplex canescens) along the fence that seemed somehow different. Saltbush is gray and sprawly, and is often covered with white galls or golden seeds. Though it can be quite attractive, few people use it as an ornamental specimen due to its “ugly” periods.

The branches of this Saltbush “hedge” formed tight silver wands that caught our eye and beckoned us to stop. We walked to the fence and noticed that the "Saltbush" was rhizomatous, had germinated in the road gravel which was mounded at the base of the fence, and had spread into the gyp loess of the pasture. We took a cutting for later botanical classification and to determine if it could be propagated.

The absence of blooms proved to be a tough obstacle to our taxonomic efforts as we flipped through various books in semi-random fashion. One of Barton Warnock’s books on flowers of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas included a close-up photo of a plant called Escobilla (Buddleja scordioides) with leaves that appeared to be identical to our mystery plant. Escobilla is kin to Woolly Butterfly Bush, which is sold in local nurseries. Correll and Johnson listed the range for this plant as western Edwards Plateau and the Trans-Pecos region. The cutting never developed roots, and fatally wilted after several days of tender care.

Following our recent May/June rains, we ventured again to the same area on a spur-of-the-moment-eat-the-burgers-in-the-car escapade to check on our presumed Buddleja, stopping on the way to grab a couple of pots and a shovel. This time, we found the hedge in bloom and, after photographing it, collected several diminutive plants.

Next, we drove a few miles away to check on our Artemisia. Sure enough, the lone plant was still there, flourishing with other drought-hardy natives. Walking along the fenceline, enjoying bright clumps of Purple Ground Cherry (Quincula lobata), we noticed yet another species of Artemisia.

Several patches grew among the rocks at the edge of the caliche pit, one of which extended outside the fence. We carefully removed a tiny corner of the clump, which seemed to be reproduced by offsets. The green leaves with silver undersides create attractive contrast along the plant's 18-inch stalks. Using Correll and Johnson's genus key, we determined that this third "new" plant is Artemisia bigelovia, which is listed as rare in the Trans-Pecos region and High Plains. Though found in "wild" settings, are these three plants truly "native" to Midland County?

The Buddleja is definitely not. Its seeds probably arrived in the load of gravel that was dumped along the road at the base of the fence where we found it. We cannot remember the last time that road was worked on, but the thriving colony has probably been growing there for twenty or thirty years.

The two Artemisias may be native, but it is suspicious that the only place the plant can be found (that we know of) is along the road near the caliche pit. Our guess at present is that both are introduced species. The means of introduction, however, is another question. A dozen species of plants that have been discovered growing in Midland County more than likely arrived in hay, for they are always found near old holding pens, feeding areas, and other areas of livestock concentration. The Artemisias may have found their way here in the tire treads of trucks coming to haul caliche away from the pit.

Why should anybody care about these questions? Well, in our case, we love our homeland, we love plants, and we love unraveling a mystery! Someday, though, we may be forced into a 12-step program to ease this "addiction!"