Hollis Baker’s Blog

I was out in the pasture, a few days ago; looking at the few bluebonnets we have this year. I suppose the dry spring was a little hard on our favorite flower here in central Texas. While on my scouting trip I noticed many other wild flowers in the area. Indian paintbrush, verbena, blue-eyed grass and evening primrose were all in bloom, but shy in abundance. One flower left me puzzled. It had a leaf arrangement similar to our bluebonnet, with kind of purple blossoms, but with smaller “bonnets.” I did not find this plant listed in any of my “flower” books.

The best solution I have found with these sorts of problems is to call for John Steel. Well, you can’t “call John Steel” for the old man doesn’t have a phone. I left word at Winkley’s Feed Store, which is just about as good as a phone, to have John stop by when he could.

Sure enough, in a few days I saw John’s pick-up, with him and that old spotted dog, coming up our lane. I showed John the mystery plant that had me stumped. He looked at me as if to say, “where have you been all these years Baker.” He was kind enough not to rub my nose in my ignorance. “Baker,” he said, “this plant is a scurvy pea, sometimes called buffalo peas.” “The Indians used this plant to cure all kinds of sickness that befell them.” John went on to tell me the Indians shared their “medicine” with the white man on the frontier. They made teas, and poultices of the leaves and ground the roots and seeds for placing on wounds and boils. “Did it work John?” I asked. “Sure it did, and it still will if you stay in the pasture and out of the drug store. I suppose you can guess I got a pretty good lecture on folk medicine and how I might live forever if I would pay attention.

I suppose that lesson would still be going on if Alice had not interrupted it with a welcome glass of iced tea. And the tea was from Lipton’s I might add. Now I take John Steel’s knowledge about the world and all that is in it, as near to gospel as you can find. From now on, when I find that plant I will instantly know it is “scurvy pea, or sometimes called buffalo peas.” However, the next time one of the grandkids comes by here, I am going to ask them to Google that for me.