The Nature the Home: The Blooming of Wild Flowers for Children

By Xianzhi He

This photo book is intended for helping children to become familiar with the wildflowers and the general plant related terms. In this photo book, more than 220 beautiful wildflower pictures taken from 111 wildflower species are included. 

The plant species are botanically classified into 36 plant families. Each wildflower

• Language: English
• Publisher: EHGBooks
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781647842772

Book preview

Table of content

Table of content

Introduction

Preface

Author

Flower Structure

Plant classification

Pea family (Leguminosae)

①Common vetch (Vicia sativa)

②Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

③Fodder vetch (Vicia villosa)

④Ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)

⑤Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

⑥Powderpuff (Mimosa strigillosa)

⑦Roundhead prairie clover (Dalea multiflora)

⑧Sensitive briar (Mimosa quadrivalvis)

⑨Sleeping plant (Chamaecrista fasciculata)

⑩Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)

⑪White ball acacia (Acaciella angustissima)

⑫White clover (Trifolium repens)

⑬Yellow puff (Neptunia lutea)

⑭Yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

Sunflower family (Astereraceae)

①American basket flower (Centaurea americanus)

②Bitter sneeze weed (Helenium amarum)

③Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)

④Carolina woolly white (Hymenopappus scabiosaeus)

⑤Clasping coneflower (Dracopis amplexicaulis)

⑥Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

⑦Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

⑧Cretan weed (Hedypnois rhagadioloides)

⑨Golden tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria)

⑩Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)

⑪Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera)

⑫Musk thistle (Carduus nutans)

⑬Oxford ragwort (Senecio squalidus)

⑭Prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)

⑮Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola)

⑯Stiff green thread (Thelesperma filifolium)

⑰Texas false dandelion (Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus)

⑱Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum)

⑲Tuberous indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum)

⑳Western ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii)

㉑Yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius)

Acanthus family (Acanthaceae)

①Violet wild petunia (Ruellia nudiflora)

Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)

①Brazos rain lily (Zephyranthes chlorosolen)

②Canadian garlic (Allium canadense)

③False garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve)

④Rush daffodil (Narcissus jonquilla)

⑤White rain lily (Zephyranthes candida)

⑥Wild onion (Allium drummondii)

Aquatic plant

①Narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia)

②Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata)

③Water primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora)

Asparagus family (Asparagaceae)

①Common yucca (Yucca filamentosa)

②Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides)

Bignonia family (Bignoniaceae)

①Cigar tree (Catalpa bignonioides）

Borage family (Boraginaceae)

①Indian heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum)

②Narrowleaf stone seed (Lithospermum incisum)

Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

①Carolina larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum)

②Hair buttercup (Ranunculus sardous)

③Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora)

④Ten petal thimble weed (Anemone benlandieri)

Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)

①Cloth-of-gold (Physaria gracilis)

②Wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis)

Cactus family (Cactaceae)

①Indian fig (Opuntia humifusa)

Carrot family (Apiaceae)

①Common hedge parsley (Torilis arvensis)

②Wild carrot (Daucus carota)

Dayflower family (Commelinaceae)

①White mouth dayflower (Commelina erecta)

Dogbane family (Apocynaceae)

①Blood flower (Asclepias curassavica)

②Green antelope horn (Asclepias viridis)

Evening primrose family (Onagraceae)

①Evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa)

②Scarlet bee blossom (Oenothera suffrutescens)

Gentian family (Gentianaceae)

①Branched centaury (Centaurium pulchellum)

②Prairie rose gentian (Sabatia campestris)

Geranium family (Geraniaceae)

①Redstem stork’s bill (Erodium cicutarium)

Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae)

①Dwarf pincushion flower (Scabiosa columbaria)

②Golden and silver honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

③Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

Iris family (Iridaceae)

①Annual blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium rosulatum)

②Celestial lily (Nemastylis geminiflora)

③Roadside blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium langloisii)

Madder family (Rubiaceae)

①Diamond flower (Stenaria nigricans)

②Virginia button weed (Diodia virginiana)

Mallow family (Malvaceae)

①Light poppy mallow (Callirhoe alcaeoides)

②Wine cup (Callirhoe digitata)

Miner’s lettuce family (Montiaceae)

①Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Mint family (Lamiaceae)

①Blue sage (Salvia azurea)

②Common henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)

③Lemon mint (Monarda citriodora)

④Wood sage (Teucrium canadense)

Moring glory family (Convolvulaceae)

①Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

②Heavenly blue morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor)

③Purple bindweed (Ipomoea cordatotriloba)

④Texas bindweed (Convolvulus equitans)

Moschatel family (Adoxaceae)

①Linden arrow wood (Viburnum dilatatum)

Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

①Buffalo bur nightshade (Solanum rostratum)

②Silver leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)

Oliver family (Oleaceae)

①Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)

Parasitic plants

①Heme broomrape (Phelipanche nana)

②Purple false foxglove (Agalinis purpurea)

③Texas indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa)

④Trailing krameria (Krameria lanceolata)

Passion flower family (Passifloraceae)

①Purple passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)

②Yellow passion flower (Passiflora lutea)

Phlox family (Polemoniaceae)

①Prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa)

Pink family (Caryophyllaceae)

①Common catchfly (Silene gallica)

②Sticky mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum)

Plantain family (Plantaginaceae)

①Bird-eyed speedwell (Veronica persica)

②Prairie beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea)

Pokeweed family (Phytolaccaceae)

①American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

Rose family (Rosaceae)

①Black thorn (Prunus spinosa)

②Sawtooth blackberry (Rubus argutus)

Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae)

①Ghost weed (Euphorbia marginate)

②Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus)

Verbena family (Verbenaceae)

①Prairie verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida)

②Texas frog fruit (Phyta nodiflora)

Violet family (Violaceae)

①American field pansy (Viola bicolor)

Wood sorrel family (Oxalidaceae)

①Common yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

②Pink sorrel (Oxalis articulata)

Poison ivy

①Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)

Glossary

Introduction

It is a true pleasure to write some introductory words to Dr. Xianzhi He’s wonderful book on North Texas wildflowers. I have known the author for 25 years since he first came to work for me in the Plant Biology Division at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Xianzhi is a plant molecular biologist who has made a number of important discoveries about how plants make special chemicals, called natural products, which help defend them against various types of stress, including attack by microbes. As someone who has delved into the inner workings of plants to better understand how they repel predators, he is equally observant of the beauty that plants deploy in their quest to attract pollinators and thereby ensure their reproduction. Flowers, with their wonderful colors, symmetries and scents, not only attract insects, but also brighten our world.

This book is written especially for children, to draw attention to the different wild flowers that can be still be in an ever-growing metroplex such as the North Texas area around Dallas-Fort Worth. Xianzhi is now retired and working at his other passion- helping people through a range of charitable activities. Bringing the beauty of the wild flowers around us into the lives of young people is just one project through which he hopes to give back to the local community. I hope the book’s young readers will be inspired to learn more about plants, and the importance they will increasingly have in providing us with food, feed, fuel, fiber and medicines in the new bioeconomy.

Richard A. Dixon MA, D.Phil., DSc.

Member, US National Academy of Sciences

Fellow of the Royal Society of London

Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas

Preface

Wow, the beauty of North Texas

Comes the breeze, comes the rain,

Comes the spring and green,

Lawns and trees.

Beauty of diverse wildflowers emerge 

Along roadsides, in wild areas,

By the ponds and lakes, around us.

Pink, purple, red, yellow, white and blue.

Here in North Texas.

Plants provide us not just with the beauty of the world, but with the essentials of living: food (flour, rice, vegetables, and fruit), clothes (cotton fiber), and houses (wood). In addition, they are an important source of modern medicines. Among the 252 basic and essential drugs listed by the World Health Organization, 11% are of flowering plant origin. 

However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 3,000 plant species are listed as endangered, comprising 17% of all evaluated plant species. In the Living planet report 2020, the wildlife populations in our planet have plummeted by 68% since 1970, and it is not seeing that this downward trend is being slow.

The Amazon jungle is a moist broad leaf tropical rainforest in South America, that encompasses 2,700,000 square miles. It is the home of one tenth of known living plants and animal species in the world, and also counts 10% of carbon storage in ecological system.  Unfortunately, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 160,000 to 227,000 square miles between 1991 and 2000 due to the human settlement and development of lands. Scientific report in 2021 indicates that, in terms of global warming, the Amazon rainforest is currently emitting more greenhouse gases than it absorbs.

When nature suffers, we all suffer.

Interest is the persistent driving force to study nature. We hope this book will inspire the new generation’s interest in natural conservation and plant science.  

Author

Dr. Xianzhi He came to the United States for further education in 1989 with an educational background in horticulture and plant pathology from South China Agricultural University.  After received his Ph. D. degree in plant science from the University of Wyoming, he continued to do research in University of Georgia, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and North Carolina State University for more than 20 years.  His research was related to plant disease, biosynthesis of plant chemicals and pigments of flower color, with more than 30 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and holding a US patent.

After retirement he moved to the area of North Texas. The wildflowers bloom along roadsides, by the lakes, under woods and in wild area almost year round in this fast-growing metroplex. However, he also realizes that trees and lands are being turned into buildings and houses every day. Houses are built to be bigger, bigger and bigger, and trees, trees and trees are being cut down. 

Knowing that plants and