Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas Sage)

Native from southwestern Texas to Mexico, this evergreen shrub grows in deserts and dry shrublands. A dense covering of fine hairs gives its leaves their characteristic silvery gray appearance. Bell-shaped flowers vary from pink to purple and are occasionally white. Flowering often occurs in bursts after rain. The fruit is a small capsule that splits into two valves to release numerous seeds. It is Texas’s official State Native Shrub. It tolerates heat and drought. It is used for hedges and can be propagated from seeds or cuttings. It is also cultivated as an ornamental in Colombia. Photographed in Barranquilla, Colombia.