Texas Prickly Pear. Lindheimer’s Cactus (_Opuntia lindheimeri_) has flowers which are yellow upon opening but which take on a lovely saffron-red the next day. Flowers of both colors are often present on the same joint. The large purple pear-shaped fruits are edible and ripen in the summer and fall. The plants often grow in large clumps and attain a great height. The spine cushions of the oval joints bear 2-3 rather short, stout, stiff spines. It is the common prickly pear from Central Texas south into Mexico.
The pencil cactus or tasajillo (_Opuntia leptocaulis_), conspicuous for its small stems and bright red fruits, is abundant in the state and Mexico. “Cholla,” or walking-stick cactus (_Opuntia imbricata_), with long slender stems and purple flowers, is common on western plains.
The cactus family has numerous representatives in Texas, but drastic legislation is needed to save some of the natural beauty spots of the western part of the state. The showy “viznaga” or barrel-cactus, used in making cactus candy, is almost exterminated in the vicinity of El Paso; and cactus fanciers are making great ravages on many others. The fruits of many are edible; the young leaves of the prickly pears are cooked for greens; and the stems are used for cattle feed after the spines have been burned.
Leaves opposite or whorled; sepals 4-6, united into a tube; petals 4-6, or absent, attached on calyx tube; stamens few or many; ovary superior.
Lance-Leaved Loosestrife (_Lythrum lanceolatum_) grows in low grounds or swamps from Texas to Oklahoma and South Carolina. The loosestrife family is close kin to the evening-primrose family and has 4-6 petals borne above the seed capsule. “Lythrum” is from the Greek meaning “gore” and refers to the red-purple color of some of the flowers. The common name of loosestrife comes from an old legend that they free from strife. The plant has slender stems 2-4 ft. high and numerous flowers borne in loose spikes. The short, narrow leaves are seldom more than 1-2 in. long. The delicate petals are somewhat darker veined and do not last long. It blooms in the late spring and summer.
Crape Myrtle (_Lagerstroemia indica_), native of China or India, is widely cultivated in the state and is being planted along highways. It has escaped cultivation in the woods in East Texas. It is a shrub or small tree which is covered during the summer months with a profusion of white, pink, lavender, or rose flowers.