Skilpadbessie

Description

A much branched, stiffly erect, rounded shrub, 1 x 1 m, with arching, spine-tipped stems covered in small, narrow deciduous leaves. Sweetpea-like flowers, ( purple, pink or white ) cover the plant in a beautiful mass starting in autumn and continuing through winter to early spring (Apr. to Oct.).The truly lovely flowers superficially resemble those of the pea and legume family but are actually quite different. All members of this genus have three to five sepals and three to five petals. The two lateral sepals are petal-like, larger than the others, coloured like the petals, and resemble the wing petals of a pea flower.texanus (Texas toadflax) is an annual to biennial plant in the snapdragon family (Plantaginaceae) found across much of the western United States.It can often be seen in patches along roadsides.The lower 3 petals are fused in a boat-shaped structure and enclose the seven stamens and the style, and resemble the keel of a pea flower. Another distinguishing difference is that Nylandtia does not bear leguminous fruit. The fleshy fruits are bright red when ripe, edible, and produced throughout summer. This shrub has a moderate growth rate and is quite hardy.