January 16, 2017
Texas State Flower - The Bluebonnet
Botanical Name
Lupinus texensis
Year Adopted
1901
Peak Bloom
May to July
History
In the 1930s the Highway Department began a landscaping program and planted Bluebonnets along highways throughout the state.
Fun Fact
Texas State Wildflower Day is celebrated every April 24.
Most sources currently list only the Lupinus texensis as the Texas state flower, but the state government expanded the definition in 1971 to include all native species of Bluebonnets. The largely indistinguishable varieties of this beautiful blue flower blanket most of central Texas for much of the spring. The two main species, Lupinus texensis and Lupinus subcarnosis grow only in Texas, earning the Bluebonnet’s recognition as the state flower.
In the early days, missionaries gathered the seeds of the wild Bluebonnets and planted them around their monasteries, giving rise to the myth that the plant was brought over from Europe. However, there is solid botanical evidence that the flower is indeed an indigenous species. Bluebonnets are mentioned in pre-Columbian Native American folktales.
Named for their color and a shape similar to a sunbonnet, the Bluebonnets blossom in March and reach full bloom in April. They’re easily found in fields and along roadsides throughout central and south Texas. In fact, Texas was the first state in the nation to plant flowers alongside the state highways, so Bluebonnet flowers are drivers’ constant companions.
Growing Information
Soil
Well-drained
Sun
Full Sun
Zones
3 - 8