Lindheimer’s Silktassel

silktasselGarrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri is a subspecies of Silktassel, named after Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801 – 1879) who is often called the Father of Texas Botany because of his work as the first permanent-resident plant collector in Texas. Lindheimer immigrated to the United States in 1834 as a political refugee. From 1843 – 1852, he spent his time collecting specimens in Texas. In 1844, he settled in New Braunfels and was granted land on the banks of the Comal River, where he continued collecting plants and attempted to establish a botanical garden. He shared his findings with many others who shared his interest in botany, including Ferdinand von Roemer and Adolph Scheele. Lindheimer is credited with the discovery of several hundred plant species and his name is used to designate forty-eight species and subspecies of plants. He is buried in New Braunfels and his house, on Comal Street in New Braunfels, is now a museum. This subspecies of Garrya ovata is an understory plant whose natural range is limited to Central Texas. These shrub-like trees like to grow in the rocky limestone hills and canyons of the Edwards Plateau.
silktassel2

iNaturalist observation.

Source for Lindheimer info.

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