Arizona Wild Flowers
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Texas Virgin's Bower, Clematis drummondii

Texas Virgin's Bower, Clematis drummondii September 30, 2006. Rich Hill, Arizona.

Texas Virgin's Bower Clematis drummondii	Texas Virgin's Bower Clematis drummondii
Texas Virgin's Bower Clematis drummondii	Texas Virgin's Bower Clematis drummondii

Texas Virgin's Bower Clematis drummondii, Ranunculus or Buttercup Family: ( Ranunculaceae ) , Texas Virgin's Bower. Also called: Old Man's Beard, Drummond's Clematis, Barbas de Chivato, Graybeard, Love-in-the-mist, Grandad Beard, Goat Beard, Hierba de los Averos. Old-man's beard is a vine with slender, woody stems that grows in dry washes and canyons in West, Central and South Texas. It can have a shrub-like shape, but usually climbs along the ground or over shrubs and trees by loosly twining petioles. It is dioeceous, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Flowers on both are inconspicuous, appearing in spring and summer, but on females they are followed by extremely showy fruits with 3-inch-long silvery tails from August through October. The opposite, pinnately compound leaves are decidous. It is cold hardy into the teens, but will grow from the roots the next spring after a freeze. It can tolerate moisture as well as drought, although it does best in well-drained soil. Once established, old-man's beard is almost impossible to eliminate. Perennial, semi-woody vine up to 25 ft. Full sun to partial shade, little water required Height: Up to 2 feet tall. Spreads up to 18 inches wide. Flowers: 4 - 6 inch flower heads which are on slender stalks. The flowers are small, about a quarter inch in diameter, and are composed of four to six, but usually five, ray flowers, generally more wide than long with three teeth at their tips. The ray flowers encircle lots of little disk flowers. Blooming Time: Late March - November. Leaves: Finely dissected green leaves about 2 - 5 inches long. Found: Found Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert: USA & Mexico. Elevation: 4,500 - 11,500 feet. Habitat: Desert soil, rock, does well in loose soil on slopes. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken September 30, 2006. Rich Hill, Arizona.