Thelesperma simplicifolium – Navajo Tea

Here’s hoping I got the identification right on this one.  I am sure it isn’t Thelesperma megapotamicum because the flower head is shaped much differently. Thelesperma subnudum doesn’t fit the bill because it is not native to Texas.  Thelesperma filifolium var. filifolium looks like the species shown in yesterday’s post and commonly called Greenthread. That leaves T. simplicifolium as the last one at the Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Information database (NPIN) and fortunately it does seem to match the photos in the database and it is native to Texas and New Mexico.  It blooms from May to November and one might assume that the petals were used by Native Americans to make a beverage, based on the common name given to it. Alas, I can’t confirm or deny that at the moment, so we’ll just have to refer to it as Thelesperma simplicifolium and hope we got the identification right this time.