Daisy Varieties in Texas

West Texas

• Among the daisies native to west Texas is annual desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata). Growing 12 to 18 inches tall, it has woolly, gray-green leaves well adapted to the challenges of hot, sunny habitats. The mound-forming plant bears 1- to 2-inch, golden yellow flowers from spring into fall. Desert marigold attracts bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Another tough, West Texas annual is golden coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria), with wavy-edged golden flowers adorned with dramatic red centers. Flourishing in sunny areas, golden coreopsis grows 1 to 3 feet tall and prefers moist, sandy soil.

Central Texas

• Central Texas is an excellent place to find annual huisache daisy, sometimes known as butterfly daisy (Amblyolepsis setigera, formerly known as Helenium setigerum). The 1- to 2-inch flowers feature toothed, yellow petals surrounding darker golden centers. Flourishing on dry hillsides, the plants grow 6 to 15 inches tall with lobed leaves. The same area is home to clasping coneflower (Dracopsis amplexicaulis), a 2- to 3-foot annual, with oblong leaves that clasp or surround the stems. The flowers boast long, drooping golden yellow petals, blotched with dark red at the bases. The petals surround tall, dark central cones.

East Texas

• The American basketflower (Centaurea americana) is a 3- to 6-foot annual that grows in eastern Texas as well as elsewhere in the state. The 4- to 5-inch flowerheads are pinkish purple, with white in the center. Stiff bracts just below the flowerheads give the flowers a thistle-like appearance. Drought-tolerant and fragrant, American basketflower thrives in part shade. Firewheel or Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) is another annual found in east Texas. The daisy flowerheads feature fringed petals that are red with yellow edges. The central disks are red-brown. Firewheel plants are 1 to 2 feet tall.

Texas Panhandle

• At 3 to 10 feet tall, the Maximillian sunflower (Helianthus maximillianus) is a striking perennial resident of the Texas panhandle and other regions. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, the plant boasts classic sunflower blossoms with lots of bright yellow rays and a broad, relatively flat central disk. It also produces a heavy crop of sunflower seeds, a boon to Texas birds. The tansy aster (Machaeranthera tanacetifolia) is an annual with fern-like foliage and blue-purple rays surrounding small yellow disks. It blooms over a long season and grows between 6 to 12 inches tall.