Texas Prairie Dawn
Hymenoxys texana
Texas Prairie Dawn is an annual flower. It is one of the state's smallest sunflowers, Its yellow flower heads, less than 1/2 inch in diameter, stand out brightly in the patches of barren sand in which the species is normally found.
Because of its habitat the Texas prairie dawn is limited to a small geographic area. This plant is found only in the open grasslands of the northern part of the Gulf Prairie region of Harris and Fort Bend Counties and southeast Texas. The Texas prairie dawn was not encountered by botanists for almost 100 years after its original discovery and was thought to be extinct. It flowers in March - early April; disappearing by mid-summer. However, habitat destruction by urban development continues to threaten this tiny plant.