By Cleveland Powell. A bluebonnet is a bluebonnet is a bluebonnet, right? Not exactly. Most of us know the state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet, but did you know there are currently five species in the Lone Star State and they all share the title of state flower?
According to the Bullock Museum, Lupinus subcarnosus was recognized in 1901 as the state flower. It wasn’t until 1971 that the other four species were anointed as co-state flowers creating the state flower quinquevirate.
Two of those five species are found right here in Bexar County — and the focus of this tale of two plants.
Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) needs no introduction. The showy flowers are a magnet for photography and proud parents who every spring flock to roadsides to capture their youngsters frolicking in fields of blue. The bluebonnets close to the highways might be this more common Texas bluebonnet, which has been seeded along Texas roadsides for many years.
But to find the OG state flower Lupinus subcarnosus, commonly called “sandyland bluebonnet,” head south on IH-37 or southeast on US-87 to the sandy soils of south Bexar County. The bluebonnets in ranch fields and along smaller county roads are more likely to be the sandyland bluebonnet.
Telling these two closely related species apart can be tricky. Sandyland bluebonnet will have inflated wing petals and green buds, while the wing petals of Texas bluebonnet lay flat, and the buds are white. If you’re in north Bexar County, you’re almost guaranteed to find Lupinus texensis as they can be found all across the county. Sandyland bluebonnets have a more limited range, growing in a swath from Somerset, following 1604 around to St. Hedwig. However, I have seen some pop up outside their natural range transported in construction fill and new sod from farms south of San Antonio.
It doesn’t matter which bluebonnet you find, I hope their sky-blue flowers bring you joy and a sense of Texas pride. In case you’re wondering, here’s the full list of Lupinus species that are state flowers.
- Lupinus subcarnosus: Sandyland bluebonnet, found in South and East Texas
- Lupinus texensis: Texas bluebonnet, found in most parts of Texas, excluding the panhandle
- Lupinus havardii: Big Bend bluebonnet, found in, of course, the Big Bend region
- Lupinus concinnus: annual lupine (the odd one out with its pink/purple flowers), found in the Big Bend, west to El Paso
- Lupinus plattensis: dune bluebonnet, found in the panhandle
Cleveland Powell is a conservation planner for SAWS. He is enthusiastic about grass taxonomy and milkweed propagation. In his free time, Powell enjoys hiking around area parks in search of intriguing bugs, birds and plants.
