(KXAN) — After seeing strange ice formations Monday morning, several viewers sent Nexstar’s KXAN photos of an intriguing plant native to Central Texas.
It’s known as a frostweed plant, and it’s certainly been living up to its name as the area deals with colder temperatures.
After a Central Texas freeze in 2022, KXAN viewer Seth Willis sent in multiple photos of frostweed, also known as Verbesina virginica. This plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions.
Also called frost flowers or iceweed, frostweed forms when air temperatures are below freezing but the ground still is warm enough for the plant’s root system to be active. Frostweed also requires high humidity.
According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, moisture in the plant flows from these roots up into the stem, where the cold air freezes them. As the moisture in the plant freezes, it expands, and the ice crystals push out through the stem. You can see more photos of the plant below.
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy James Zapata III 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews 
A frostweed plant is capable of producing strange ice sculptures under the right conditions. | Courtesy Raymond Mathews
Trees and stemmed plants are covered with tiny tubes filled with water that act sort of like veins. When the air is really humid and just below freezing, the water that’s at the end of these tubes freezes and expands, turning into ice.
The ice may emerge from a small slit in the plant to form thin ribbon-like strands, or they may split open a whole section of the stem and push out in a thin, curling sheet. Sometimes, several ribbons of ice push out to create a flower-like petal effect.
KXAN viewer Adam Booker also sent in photos of the unique plant.
KXAN viewer Adam Booker sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Adam Booker) 
KXAN viewer Adam Booker sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Adam Booker) 
KXAN viewer Seth Willis sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Seth Willis) 
KXAN viewer Adam Booker sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Adam Booker) 
KXAN viewer Adam Booker sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Adam Booker) 
KXAN viewer Adam Booker sent in multiple photos of a strange ice formation that occurred this Friday morning. (Courtesy: Adam Booker)
According to the University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, frostweed can also be found in Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
