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| Flame Acanthus is a hot weather bloomer. |
The heat of the Texas summer is enough to make everything wilt, but there are some native plant species that truly thrive in these unrelenting temperatures and drought-stricken conditions. These plants include Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii), Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii), Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora), and Western Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii).
Turk’s Cap, also known as Drummond’s Turk’s Cap, Wax Mallow, Mexican Apple, Manzanita, and Sleeping Hibiscus, is a spreading shrub to 4 feet high, with large green leaves on upright stems. Bright red flowers atop the stems are twisted into a whorl from which protrude red stamens. These flowers are a natural source of nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, and it is a host plant for the Turk’s-cap White-Skipper butterfly. The resulting fruit is red and marble-sized, and edible for animals and humans alike. Turk’s Cap is the perfect plant to grow under trees that tend to shade out non-native turf grasses, as they form a natural cover and provide much needed color from May all the way to November.
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| Turk's Cap |
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| Turk's Cap fruit |
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| Turk's-cap White-Skipper |
An airy, spreading shrub to 5 feet tall, Flame Acanthus has tender lance-shaped green leaves and tubular red flowers that open to 4 lobes and occur along terminal spikes. Blooming in full sun from June to October, it attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies, and is also known as Hummingbird Bush, Wright’s Acanthus, and Mexican Flame. It is the host plant for the Crimson Patch, Elada Checkerspot, and Texan Crescent butterflies. The fruit is a small, hood-shaped capsule with seeds attached to a hooked stalk that helps to eject them from the capsule when it dries and splits open.
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| Flame Acanthus |
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| Flame Acanthus seed capsule |
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| Crimson Patch |
Violet Ruellia is an erect herb that is woody at the base with few branches, growing to 2 feet tall. The dark green leaves are oval-shaped, and the trumpet-shaped violet flowers at the ends of stalks open at sunrise and fall from the plant in early afternoon, from March all the way through October. Also called Wild Petunia, it does well in sunny areas and is a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly. One of its’ subspecies is a host plant for the Malachite butterfly, a south Texas species rarely seen in central Texas.
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| Violet Ruellia |
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| Common Buckeye |
Often stout and forming colonies 5 feet high, Western Ironweed has hairy unbranched stems, large green leaves with serrated edges, and loose clusters of bright purple blooms at the apex of each stem. From July to the first frost, these fuzzy blooms provide nectar for various types of pollinating insects and the seeds nourish several species of birds. Also called Baldwin’s Ironweed, it is the host plant for the Parthenice Tiger Moth. While this species’ growth can be aggressive, it flourishes if allowed to spread in larger, open, sunny areas.
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| Western Ironweed |
These native species can (and often should) be pruned back in winter as they can get too leggy. They have low water needs once established, and can tolerate hot temperatures and still continue to bloom. They are the perfect plants to beat the heat, benefit our local wildlife, and provide much needed color in your own native summer garden!
