Texas Prairie Parsley
Polytaenia texana
This plant serves as a vital nursery; Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies search out its leaves to lay their eggs, providing their caterpillars with a perfect first meal.
- Scientific name
- Polytaenia texana
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Apiales › Apiaceae › Polytaenia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Blackland prairies, limestone glades, post oak savannahs, and open clay-soil grasslands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- Range
- Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas
- Size
- 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years (biennial or short-lived perennial)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation due to agricultural conversion, urban sprawl, and encroachment of invasive woody brush.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to observe. Avoid crushing the plant or getting its sap on your skin, as some members of the parsley family contain compounds that cause skin sensitivity to sunlight (phytophotodermatitis). If contact with sap occurs, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water and keep it shaded from the sun.
Polytaenia texana , commonly known as Texas prairie parsley , is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family. It is native to the south-western United States (Texas and Oklahoma).
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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