It seems to have been introduced from Europe?? but is wild all over North America. It likes to grow in grassy areas or will take over where the soil has been disturbed and not heavily mulched. The leaves on the upper stems are clasped around the stem so perfectly that they look just like one leaf with the stem growing up through the center of it. The little reddish purple blooms grow at the base of the leaf in a cluster and with the tight clasp of the two leaves, makes it look like a wreath around the stem. I expect these to be around and blooming up through May. I also checked the Rosemary in the garden today and got a good bloom from it scanned for the herb section

I had a hard time identifying it, but according to the book "Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country" by Marshall Enquest which has a perfect photo of it, [page 214] it is a Saw-Leaf Daisy (Prionopsis ciliata); a Compositae, Tribe Astereae!! Actually, this scan is a little larger than life but I wanted it to be as clear as possible for identification.

Bloom periods: August to November. NOW, does anyone know if it has any herbal values?

This Texas Poinsettia grows wild and I was blessed with a number of volunteers among the other plants in my garden this summer. They seem to do especially well about every seven years and may be noticeably absent some years in between.

The scan of this sprig was taken 4 Oct 1999. It grows on a single stem, branching out somewhat like a tree and with varying leaf shapes on the same plant. The scan is pretty much the same size as the specimen. The blooming period is from June to October in south-west Smith County. Looks like it may continue until frost. The color rendition here is not too good, as the plant is a much clearer green and the red is much brighter and fresher.