Native Plants

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Friday - April 24, 2009

From: Llano, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Native replacement for Mexican heather in Llano, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Please suggest a native or adaptable alternative plant for Mexican Heather.

ANSWER:

Cuphea hyssopifolia, native to Mexico and Guatemala, is an annual or tender perennial sub-shrub. To find a native alternative, we will go to our Recommended Species section, select on Central Texas on the map, and search for annuals or perennials, shrub, sub-shrub or herbaceous flowering plants that can do well in sun or part shade. Nothing we find will be an exact duplicate of Mexican false heather, especially in color, but they will grow in similar environments and be fairly low.

Amblyolepis setigera (huisache daisy) - annual, to 1 ft. tall, blooms yellow March to June, part shade

Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata (partridge pea) - annual, 1 to 3 ft. tall, blooms yellow May to Oct., sun

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Dakota mock vervain) - annual, to 1 ft., blooms pink, purple March to December, sun, part shade

Monarda citriodora (lemon beebalm) - annual, 1 to 2 ft.tall, blooms white, pink, purple May to July, sun, part shade

Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower) - perennial to 3 ft. tall, blooms blue, purple, July to November, sun, part shade

Melampodium leucanthum (plains blackfoot) - perennial to 1 ft. tall, blooms white March to November, sun, part shade

Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa (stemmy four-nerve daisy) - perennial to 1 ft. tall, evergreen, blooms yellow January to December, sun

Wedelia texana (hairy wedelia) - perennial sub-shrub, 1 to 3 ft. tall, yellow May to November, sun, part shade

Amblyolepis setigera

Wedelia texana

Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa

Melampodium leucanthum

Conoclinium coelestinum

Monarda citriodora

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida