''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrubs in the

figwort The genus ''Scrophularia'' of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of ''Scrophularia'' all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers for ...

family,

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

, native to the southwestern United States and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd species are often called "sages", although they have no relationship to the genus ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoi ...

''. The solitary axillary flowers are bell- or funnel-shaped, with five lobes and two lips, and colors ranging from white to magenta to purple. The generic name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words λευκός (''leukos''), meaning "white," and φυλλον (''phyllos''), meaning "

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

," referring to the trichome-covered foliage. These shrubs are found in

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

s and have a high

salt tolerance Halotolerance is the adaptation of living organisms to conditions of high salinity. Halotolerant species tend to live in areas such as hypersaline lakes, coastal dunes, saline deserts, salt marshes, and inland salt seas and springs. Halophiles a ...

. They have become popular for edge and area plantings in warmer areas and in

xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained acceptance in other ...

; they require minimal water, are easily shaped into

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoin ...

s, and bloom over their entire surface.

Cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s of '' L. frutescens'', '' L. candidum, '' L. laevigatum'', '' L. langmaniae'', '' L. pruinosum'', '' L. revolutum'', and '' L. zygophyllum'' have been developed. ''Leucophyllum'' shrubs are legendary for their ability to "forecast" rain, usually blooming several days prior to a rainstorm, apparently in response to humidity. They are sometimes called "

barometer A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...

bush" for this reason. It is believed to be a survival trait in the plants' semi-desert habitats.

Selected species

* ''

Leucophyllum alejandrae ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' G.L. Nesom * ''

Leucophyllum ambiguum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' Bonpl. * ''

Leucophyllum candidum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' I.M.Johnst. – Brewster County barometer bush * ''

Leucophyllum flyrii ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' B.L. Turner * ''

Leucophyllum frutescens ''Leucophyllum frutescens'' is an evergreen shrub in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the official "State Native Shrub of Texas", and to the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in ...

'' (

Berland. Jean-Louis Berlandier (1803 – 1851) was a French-Mexican naturalist, physician, and anthropologist. Early life Berlandier was born in Geneva, and later trained as a botanist there. During this time he probably served an apprenticeship to a ph ...

) I.M.Johnst. – Texas sage, Texas ranger, silverleaf * ''

Leucophyllum hintoniorum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' G.L. Nesom * '' Leucophyllum laevigatum''

Standl. Paul Carpenter Standley (March 21, 1884 – June 2, 1963) was an American botanist known for his work on neotropical plants. __TOC__ Standley was born on March 21, 1884 in Avalon, Missouri. He attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri an ...

– Chihuahuan sage * ''

Leucophyllum langmaniae ''Leucophyllum langmaniae'' is a shrub native of Mexico (Chihuahuan Desert), semi-evergreen, with gray-green leaves of velvety texture. Its shape is branched and compact, forming a rounded mass of up to high and wide. The flowers are lavender. T ...

'' Flyr – Langman's sage, Rio Bravo sage * '' Leucophyllum minus''

A.Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His '' Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually exc ...

– Big Bend barometer bush * '' Leucophyllum mojinense'' Henrickson & T. Van Devender * '' Leucophyllum pringlei'' (Greenm.) Standl. * ''

Leucophyllum pruinosum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' I.M.Johnst. * ''

Leucophyllum revolutum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' Rzed. * '' Leucophyllum ultramonticola'' Flyr * ''

Leucophyllum zygophyllum ''Leucophyllum'' (barometer bush or barometerbush) is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoporaceae. The dozen-odd spe ...

'' I.M.Johnst.

Hybrids

*''Leucophyllum'' × 'Heavenly Cloud' (''L. frutescens'' 'Green Cloud' × ''L. laevigatum'') *''Leucophyllum'' × 'Rain Cloud' (''L. frutescens'' × ''L. minus'')

References

External links

Page on ''L. frutescens'' from Texas Native Plants Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2702896 Scrophulariaceae Scrophulariaceae genera Flora of Mexico Flora of the United States Taxa named by Alexander von Humboldt Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland