Bracted Twistflowers are rare annual plants that germinate in wet Fall conditions and bloom the following Spring in late April and May. They have very showy, four-petaled, lavender flowers. These plants grow in west Austin in just a few remaining places, often on steep hillsides where Ashe Juniper trees provide cover from browsing deer. One of these few places is the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
Jonathon Scalise
Biologist, City of Austin.
The pink ribbon in this photo indicates that this plant has been found on a previous survey.
"Their range is just a handful of counties here in central Texas where development and deer over-population have put them in a dire situation."