Spoonleaf (Bouchea spathulata)
Description
Spoonleaf bouchea is a small, 2-to 3-foot high shrub with rose-colored, phlox-like flowers that appear from June through October. It grows in Texas in canyons and on ridges in only a few populations in the Trans-Pecos. It is related to flaxleaf bouchea, B. linifolia, but is more densely branched, more upright, its flowers are larger, and its leaves are clustered and spoon-shaped rather than linear. Since it has all of flaxleaf bouchea's assets (drought tolerance, beautiful flowers over a long period, no-maintenance) plus a tidier shape and bigger flowers, spoonleaf bouchea is of equal, if not more, ornamental value. However, the specimens of B. spathulata in Benny Simpson's trial gardens at the Texas A&M Experiment Station in Dallas, have not survived, while the flaxleaf boucheas are thriving.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Lamiales
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Family: Verbenaceae
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Genus: Bouchea
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