Plant ID, North Texas, Texoma region

This grows all over my yard. A few clues, soil here is mostly clay, and it's very alkaline. It's fragrant as well, and I think it's some kind of salvia, but I haven't had much luck identifying it on my own. Any ideas?

are you looking to get rid of it? im curious wut the fragrant smells like. i bet others on the forums can id it. =)

joey tran wrote:are you looking to get rid of it? im curious wut the fragrant smells like. i bet others on the forums can id it. =)

No, definitely not looking to eradicate it!

I just bought this place less than a year ago and I'm still trying to learn about all the plants and trees that are prevalent here. I don't know how to describe the smell, but when these plants dry and get hit with a mower it's very distinctive, and it's not a bad either, imo. I definitely would not call it a fruity sweet fragrance, more on the spicy side if that makes any sense. =)

Can you post a close up of the leaf and maybe a flower ?

First guess is a poliomintha longiflora. True mexican oregano. This is truly a guess. Great stuff if that is it, I may ask you to send me cuttings..... They do have a salvia-like flower.
And, they have the benefit of being the highest ORAC per gram of anything.

If you can get a better/closer picture I can ID it with certainty.

That my friend is Texas Croton, native to our upland areas. Nothing eats it(rabbits eat it in the worst of times), grows on disturbed soils. There is also a variety around that gets 3ft or so.
What part of Texoma are you in? We are just west of Hagerman Wildlife Refuge.

texas croton
just in case I am wrong, but pretty sure it is a croton, I have it in places I overgraze, it let's me know of my mistake

wayne stephen wrote:Can you post a close up of the leaf and maybe a flower ?

Pulled a sprig and took this picture over the weekend.

chris cromeens wrote:That my friend is Texas Croton, native to our upland areas. Nothing eats it(rabbits eat it in the worst of times), grows on disturbed soils. There is also a variety around that gets 3ft or so.
What part of Texoma are you in? We are just west of Hagerman Wildlife Refuge.

I think you're right, I do have poorly covered, calcareous soil. Going to take a lot of work to rehab this place I guess. Good thing I enjoy a challenge.

I live near Whitewright, TX. Technically I'm probably a mile or two south of where 'Texoma' officially starts.