It's certainly a flax. You say 'down the road' as if this might be in a location where people have been active rather than a really wild place. Could it possibly be a stray plant of common flax, Linum usitatissimum, which is a crop grown in Texas according a quick Google. Just a thought.

Yes, the seeds. I believe it has to be something in the Asteraceae which flowers late in the growing season. I've collected seeds in my garden from Vernonia which looks similar to your picture. It's only a hunch since we missed the flowers.

WELL...last night someone on name that plant forum indicated that it was called Yellowrocket, which led to finding that it is probably a very close relative of Yellowrocket: Wild Radish. Whis is a very close relative to Wild Mustard :-) The only reason it can't be Yellowrocket is because the stems and leaves have tiny hairs, which indicates it is Wild Radish. However. I have seen pics of Wild Radish now on Google Images that don't look like this plant, and some that show Yellowrocket looking dead-on accurate, save for the leaves. Ha. At any rate, I'm pulling them up...tis' not to be... Thanks so much for your help, timbu and fammsimm. Now I am also familiar with two other kinds of weeds, so if I spot them, I'll know right away :-) Joanna

I'm not sure that that's chickweed. I'm not sure what it is, but it kinda looks like a native wildflower, Venus' Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata). Have a look at these photos at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlower Center to compare. Chickweed is surprisingly tasty, but I'd check out your plant a bit more before eating it... Here's a link on foraging for Chickweed, and the person who wrote the article mentions that it is sometimes confused with Petty Spurge. Weeds grown in pots in favorable conditions may look a bit different from weeds grown out in the yard, competing with grass and other weeds... Good luck, Virginia