Engelmann daisies

I know the Engelmann daisy, Engelmannia peristenia, only from central Texas, yet the USDA map shows a distribution up through the Great Plains into South Dakota. Botanists refer to the genus Engelmannia as monotypic, meaning that it contains just one species. Call that species an only child and no one will fault you for the analogy.

The picture above shows the bud of an Engelmann daisy opening in front of an Indian paintbrush, Castilleja indivisa. The photograph below lets you see what the open and opening flower heads of an Engelmann daisy look like. Both pictures are from Blackland Prairie remnants in Round Rock on April 8th.

© 2018 Steven Schwartzman