| 1 | 1 | | By: Darby (Senate Sponsor - Duncan) H.C.R. No. 24 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 2011; |
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| 3 | 3 | | May 3, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Government Organization; May 18, 2011, reported favorably by the |
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| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 18, 2011, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a |
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| 10 | 10 | | variety of official symbols as tangible representations of the |
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| 11 | 11 | | proud character and colorful heritage of the Lone Star State; |
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| 12 | 12 | | select plant varieties, including the bluebonnet and the prickly |
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| 13 | 13 | | pear cactus, have received official recognition, which has served |
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| 14 | 14 | | to draw attention to the great biological diversity of our |
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| 15 | 15 | | landscape; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Texas supports not only an abundance of land-based |
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| 17 | 17 | | plants but also many aquatic species, and one particular type of |
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| 18 | 18 | | waterlily comes to the forefront as an especially worthy symbol of |
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| 19 | 19 | | the state: Nymphaea Texas Dawn; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, A hardy and exceptionally lovely plant, Nymphaea |
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| 21 | 21 | | Texas Dawn is a hybrid that was created in 1985 by Texas resident |
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| 22 | 22 | | Kenneth Landon, a world-renowned expert in the field of Nymphaea |
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| 23 | 23 | | and the director of the International Waterlily Collection in San |
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| 24 | 24 | | Angelo; described as one of the most stunning yellow waterlilies to |
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| 25 | 25 | | be introduced in more than a century, N. Texas Dawn frequently |
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| 26 | 26 | | blooms 10 inches above the surface of the water in clusters of six |
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| 27 | 27 | | or more; in early spring, the base of the petals produces a light |
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| 28 | 28 | | orange glow, and in late summer and fall, the flowers may suffuse |
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| 29 | 29 | | with pink; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, In 1990, N. Texas Dawn received the American Award |
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| 31 | 31 | | from the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society (IWGS); |
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| 32 | 32 | | more recently, it was accorded top ranking among aquatic plants in |
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| 33 | 33 | | the rigorous Texas Superstar program of the Texas Cooperative |
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| 34 | 34 | | Extension of Texas A&M University, and the species is listed by |
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| 35 | 35 | | other hybridizers as a parent for more than a dozen named |
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| 36 | 36 | | waterlilies; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, N. Texas Dawn has been featured prominently at the |
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| 38 | 38 | | International Waterlily Collection in San Angelo, which was |
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| 39 | 39 | | established by Mr. Landon in 1988 in a little-used pond in Civic |
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| 40 | 40 | | League Park; in the years since, the collection has become |
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| 41 | 41 | | recognized as one of the most important exhibits of its kind in the |
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| 42 | 42 | | world, and it was the focal point of the 2010 symposium of the IWGS; |
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| 43 | 43 | | the presence of this widely admired facility has given Texas great |
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| 44 | 44 | | prominence among water gardening enthusiasts, and it makes the |
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| 45 | 45 | | designation of N. Texas Dawn as the state waterlily all the more |
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| 46 | 46 | | appropriate; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | WHEREAS, This noteworthy species is the first waterlily to be |
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| 48 | 48 | | named for Texas, and its unique beauty and resilient character |
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| 49 | 49 | | indeed make it a fitting symbol for the Lone Star State; now, |
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| 50 | 50 | | therefore, be it |
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| 51 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 52 | 52 | | hereby designate Nymphaea Texas Dawn as the official State |
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| 53 | 53 | | Waterlily of Texas. |
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| 54 | 54 | | * * * * * |
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