cherylad
 Regular Plants Contributor
S. Liberty County - Texas
Posts: 4177
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:42 pm Post subject: Mystery Tree/Weed - small leaves - yellow flowers |
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These grow wild all over here. There's a bunch in an empty lot next to the parking lot at my office.
The leaves remind me of Bird of Paradise. It has small, pretty yellow flowers.
It's either a tall weed or a small tree. Any ideas?
Mystery Tree - size ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
This one is over 7 foot
Mystery Tree - size of leaves & flower ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
Just so you can see the size of leaves and flowers.
Mystery Tree - Yellow Flowers ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
Very pretty little yellow flowers.
I even dug up a sprout and put it a pot... just in case it's something that's worth keeping!
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cherylad
Regular Plants Contributor
S. Liberty County - Texas
Posts: 4177
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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Oh yeah... forgot one trait... the leaves fold/close up in the evening. I'm assuming to preserve moisture.
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Palustris
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Looks like a Mimosa of some sort.
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Gardening is the great leveller
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cherylad
Regular Plants Contributor
S. Liberty County - Texas
Posts: 4177
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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The leaves reminded me a Mimosa... but not quite. And the flowers are quite different. 
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11244
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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I have seen those along the roadside pretty much all my life, driving around Texas but also just thought of them as Mesquite. But the info you can find from one picture is amazing.
Looking at the leaves it could be Mesquite tree, Locust Tree, Mimosa Tree or Golden Mimosa. The first three are native to Texas and grow all over the state.
The Mesquite tree does produce yellow flowers but not like those, the Locust tree has white flowers, the Mimosa Tree has pink flowers, the Golden Mimosa has yellow flowers but nothing like the ones in the photo.
There is also a native plant Retama
Leguminosae Parkinsonia aculeata aka Horse-Bean, Jerusalem Thorn, Mexican Paloverde
Also in the Pea family like the others, it has yellow flowers and leaves similar to yours. There are 4 species of the Retama growing north and south America. Oh and another tid bit I learned about one of the common names of this plant is that the name Jerusalem doesn't refer to the city but is a corruption of the Spanish and Portuguese word girasol which means 'turning toward the sun'
All of these trees are in the Fabaceae aka Pea Family. They have similar leaves and produce pea pods after flowering.
So now that you are thoroughly confused, you might send a picture to the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center and ask if they can ID it for you to be sure.
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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cherylad
Regular Plants Contributor
S. Liberty County - Texas
Posts: 4177
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Toni... you're amazing!
So much info. I will definitely send the photos along and report back what I find.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, that is a lot of cool info Toni! I am so glad Cherylad asked the question! Really interesting. I would like to hear the final outcome on the ID.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11244
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, oh, oh, I just found another member of the Pea family it certainly looks like.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_drummondii
common names Rattlebox and Poison Bean...the beans are poison.
_________________
To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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cherylad
Regular Plants Contributor
S. Liberty County - Texas
Posts: 4177
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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That's the one! You're fantastic! 
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11244
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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Good that answers the question as to what it is for me too.
_________________
To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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