Bluebonnet is a name given to any of a number of purple-flowered or blue-flowered species of the genus ''

Lupinus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centre of diversity, centres of diversity in North America, North and South A ...

'' and is collectively the

state flower This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory flowers. See also *List of U.S. state trees * Lists of U.S. state insignia References External linksList of state flowers {{USStateLists * U.S. state flowers Flowers ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The shape of the petals on the flower resembles the

bonnet A bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap. Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Native American *War bonnet, feathered headgear worn as an earned military decoration by high-ranking Plains Indians United King ...

worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun. Species often called bluebonnets include: * ''

Lupinus argenteus ''Lupinus argenteus'' is a species of lupine known by the common name silvery lupine. It is native to much of western North America from the southwestern Canadian provinces to northernmost Mexico and as far east as the Great Plains. It grows in s ...

'', silvery lupine * '' Lupinus concinnus'', Bajada lupine * '' Lupinus havardii'', Big Bend bluebonnet or Chisos bluebonnet * ''

Lupinus perennis ''Lupinus perennis'' (also wild perennial lupine, wild lupine, sundial lupine, blue lupine, Indian beet, or old maid's bonnets) is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Description The leaves are Leaf#Divisions of the blade, palmately comp ...

'', wild lupine or blue lupine * '' Lupinus plattensis'', Nebraska lupine * '' Lupinus subcarnosus'', sandyland bluebonnet or buffalo clover * ''

Lupinus texensis ''Lupinus texensis'', the Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine is a species of lupine found in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. With other related species of lupines also called bluebonne ...

'', Texas bluebonnet or Texas lupine On March 7, 1901, ''Lupinus subcarnosus'' became the only species of bluebonnet recognized as the state flower of Texas; however, ''Lupinus texensis'' emerged as the favorite of most

Texan Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wit ...

s. So, in 1971, the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

made any similar species of ''Lupinus'' that could be found in Texas the state flower. Despite the common belief among Texans that picking bluebonnets is illegal in the state, this is a myth, and there are no laws that specifically prohibit picking them. As an extension of

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She had previously been Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 196 ...

's efforts at highway beautification in the United States (see Highway Beautification Act), she encouraged the planting of native plants along Texas highways after she left the White House. Bluebonnet blooms are now a common sight along these highways in the springtime. They serve as a popular backdrop for family photographs, and the Department of Public Safety issues safety recommendations with regard to drivers pulling off highways to take such pictures.

Bluebonnets in media

Books

* 1983: ''The Legend of the Bluebonnet'', by

Tomie dePaola Thomas Anthony "Tomie" dePaola (; September 15, 1934 – March 30, 2020) was an American writer and illustrator who created more than 260 children's books, such as '' Strega Nona''. He received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for his lifet ...

College football

*The

Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium (Rice Univ ...

was an annual

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

postseason

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

, played in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in late December from

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

through

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. *The

Baylor–TCU football rivalry The Baylor–TCU football rivalry, known as The Bluebonnet Battle and informally as The Revivalry, is an American college football rivalry between the Baylor Bears and TCU Horned Frogs. The first game of the 120-game series was played in 1899, m ...

is known as ''The Bluebonnet Battle''

Music

* 2016: Bluebonnets (Julia's Song), by

Aaron Watson James Aaron Watson (born August 20, 1977) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1999, Watson has recorded several independent albums in his career. His 2015 album '' The Underdog'' reached No. 1 on Top Country Al ...

References

{{US state flowers Texas culture Plant common names Lupinus