Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers (Volume 24)

Every spring paintbrush decorates Texas’ highways with its colorful leaves, which look as if they have been dipped in paint. Native Americans reportedly made a weak tea from this flower to treat rheumatism, to use in food as a secret love charm, and to use as a poison for their enemies. This roadside delight, sprinkled in with the bluebonnet, creates spectacular scenery for Texas travelers.

In Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers, Elizabeth Silverthorne offers a delightful selection of these botanical treasures explaining the significance and origin of the name, identifying where the flower and its family members are located, and colorfully describing each one’s legends and uses. Complemented by eighteen delicate drawings, legends and facts about forty-four of Texas’ most interesting flowers, such as the water lily, Queen Anne’s Lace, poinsettia, dogwood, and morning glory, are delightfully detailed.

Violets have been used to cure cancer. Sunflowers were planted by nineteenth-century pioneers to protect families from malaria. Indian Blankets were used to increase fertility. Buttercups were used, in ancient time, to treat leprosy, plague, and insanity and, more recently, to remove warts or raise blisters.

Silverthorne’s text offers folklore enthusiasts, gardeners, and Texas history buffs an enchanting reading experience and an invitation to discover the legends growing in their own backyard.