Sand Palafox (Palafoxia hookeriana)
Description: Sand palafox grows 16–40 inches tall and is unbranched except for the numerous flower stems on the upper third. It is lightly covered with hair, and somewhat sticky. Leaves are 4 inches long or less and 3/4 inch wide. Flower heads have 8–12 rose-colored ray flowers, deeply 3-toothed and about 1/2 inch long, and many rose-colored disc flowers (248). This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa (1776–1847), a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon. The species is named for William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865), who was the Director of Kew Gardens from 1841-1865. He wrote “Flora boreali-americana” and many other works. He was the founder and editor of “Journal of Botany”.
Family: Asteraceae
Synonym(s): Hooker palafoxia, Sand palafoxia, Hooker’s palafoxia
USDA Symbol: PAHO
Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Size Class: 3-6 ft.
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Water Use: Low
Light Requirements: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Bloom Notes: Sand palafox is unbranched except for the numerous flower stems. It is lightly covered with hair, and somewhat sticky. Flower heads have 8–12 rose-colored ray flowers. Blooming can be increased and prolonged by pruning and dead heading.
ATTRIBUTION: All of the Texas Wildflower images in this post are copyrighted and are the exclusive property of Terry B. Kahler. Reproduction without explicit written consent is prohibited. Some of the information contained in this section was taken from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website and is being used under their terms of use. Redistribution from this site is prohibited. Additional information contained in this section was taken from the USDA website including the USDA code.
