TREE-HUCKLEBERRY
Herbs or shrubs; sepals 4-5; corolla urn-shaped or cylindric, 4-5-lobed; stamens 8 or 10; anthers opening by terminal pores; ovary superior or inferior.
Tree-Huckleberry. Farkleberry (Batodendron arboreum) is also known as upland-huckleberry, sparkleberry, and gooseberry. The name is Greek and means “blackberry tree.” The huckleberries are often placed in a family separate from other heaths. The tree-huckleberry is a shrub or small tree, very abundant in the woods of East Texas and the Southern States. The dainty, drooping sprays of white bell-shaped flowers remind one of the lily-of-the-valley. The shining oval leaves are short-stalked, 1-2 in. long. The black berries are not edible.
Well-known members of the heath family include the trailing arbutus, cranberry, blueberry, bean-berry, winter-green, rhododendron, and azalea. Thickets of the pink azalea or swamp-honeysuckle (Azalea nudiflora) occur in a few places in East Texas. In the mountains of Southwest Texas may be found the arbutus-tree, madroña, or naked Indian, so called because of its red wood and scaling bark. Its small, red fleshy fruits look like strawberries. Stagger-bush (Neopieris mariana) is a common shrub in swampy places.
PRIMROSE FAMILY (Primulaceae)
TEXAS WATER-PIMPERNEL SHOOTING STAR
Leaves often basal; sepals usually 5, often leafy; corolla tubular, 5-lobed; stamens 5, opposite the petals; ovary superior; fruit a capsule.
Texas Water-Pimpernel. Brookweed (Samolus cuneatus) is a plant found wherever springs or moist ledges occur in limestone hills of Texas. The plants have a basal rosette of broad rounded leaves. The slender stems are 6-12 inches high and bear a few leaves which are narrowed at the base. The 5-lobed white flowers are short and bell-shaped and appear from April to September. The pink water-pimpernel (Samolus ebracteatus) grows in sandy soil along the coast.
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon stanfieldia) is a rare plant and should be afforded protection. It is found in rich, moist soil from Central Texas to Louisiana. The flowers are very much like those of Dodecatheon meadia but are larger and have broader petals.