Narrow-leaf Snake Herb (Dyschoriste linearis)

   
 

Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso. Photographs by Wynn Anderson.

• Common English Names: Narrow-leaf Snake Herb
• Common Spanish Names:
• Scientific Name: Dyschoriste linearis (dee-scor-EES-tee lin-ee-AIR-is)
• Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family)
• Geographic Range: Grassy limestone soils of the southern and western two-thirds of Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
• Plant Form: Herbaceous perennial, 6" to 12" H x 6" to 10" W.
• Remarks: Erect, upright, coarsely hairy herb with multiple, mostly unbranched, square stems. Rigid leaves linear-oblong or narrowly spathulate with fringed edges. Pale lavender to purple, two-lipped bell-shaped flowers occur in leaf axils in late spring and repeats in late summer with sufficient moisture. Low to moderate water, full sun, a variety of sandy, silty, or rocky soils with good drainage; root hardy, dying to a rhizomatous crown in winter.

Last Update: 3 Jun 2004