Zeltnera texensis
Lady Bird's centaury, Lady Bird's mountain-pink, Texas or Lady Bird's centaury
1(–5), dividing below middle into ± equal branches, these further branching throughout or, in the smaller plants, branching only distally.
usually all cauline;
blade narrowly elliptic to linear (proximal) to filiform (distal), 7–25 × 0.5–4.5(–8) mm, apex acute.
open, much-branched, dichasial, with a central flower in each fork, or distally sometimes monochasial cymes;
pedicels 4–20 mm.
5-merous;
calyx 6–12 mm;
corolla 12–20 mm, lobes narrowly oblong to elliptic-oblong, 3–7 × 0.8–1.5 mm, apex acute;
stigmas 2, fan-shaped.
light brown.
= 40, 42.
Zeltnera texensis
Zeltnera texensis has been reported from Nuevo León, Mexico (J. N. Mink et al. 2011b), remote from its range in the United States, but specimens have not been examined in studies for this flora. Reports of Z. texensis (as Centaurium) from Louisiana have been based on misidentified C. pulchellum and C. tenuiflorum (J. S. Pringle 2010b). Reports from New Mexico have been based on Z. arizonica and Z. maryanniana (studies for this flora).
Zeltnera texensis differs from Z. maryanniana most conspicuously in being proximally single-stemmed without persistent basal leaves.
The name Lady Bird’s centaury is for Claudia Alta Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson, former First Lady of the United States, who promoted the conservation of native plant species and their use in beautifying highway verges. She especially liked this species and had seeds of it sown around the airstrip at the Johnson ranch in Texas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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