‘Lady Bird Johnson Royal Blue’ Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis Hook.)

Abstract

The six Lupinus L. species native to Texas were designated as the Texas state flower by the state legislature in 1971 (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2010). The most widespread, bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis Hook.), is a winter annual that produces predominantly violet–blue [violet– blue group 96A; Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), 1982] flower spikes in early to middle spring. This species is used widely in impressive floral displays along roadsides throughout much of the state (Andrews, 1986). In 1985, a breeding project was initiated to develop bluebonnet cultivars to use as bedding plants. A primary objective of the project was to develop novel bluebonnet flower colors. Color variants exist in native populations but are quite rare. ‘Abbott Pink’ was the first cultivar to be developed (Parsons and Davis, 1993) followed by ‘Barbara Bush’ lavender (Parsons et al., 1994) and ‘Texas Maroon’ (Mackay et al., 2000). ‘Lady Bird Johnson Royal Blue’ was developed by recurrently selecting for flower color and is the fourth seed-propagated cultivar to be released from this project. This cultivar is intended for use as a bedding plant and is named after the late Lady Bird Johnson who enthusiastically encouraged highway beautification with bluebonnets being a key component.