San Antonio, TX (Zone 9a) | August 2006 | positive
Since I first discovered the bloom of this plant, I've been able to locate several more of these growing in the hot dry sandy field down ...Read Morein front of my house. They are growing wild along with several other Texas native species, including the Texas Chenille, aka Cardinal's Feather and a few more.
They are most abundant in areas that get full sun and very little water, so I consider them to be drought resistant and suitable for xeriscaping for sure.
As far as propagation methods are concerned, I'm still learning about these. I have taken two cuttings from one vine and will post the results as they develop. As shown in the photos, there are several seed pods that the dried flowers make, but I haven't collected or planted any just yet.
The blooms are fairly small and close up during the heat of the day. I notice them open as the sun starts to go down and also on cloudy days.
One plant I investigated closely had several runners very close to the ground that intertwined with the costal grass and ranged from 12" to 36" in length. The vines each had several leaves on them and many blooms as well. The runners protrude upwards between the other vegetation and present one or two leaves with the blooms just barely showing above the grass. Thus giving the appearance of a single little plant in the grass. Upon further inspection, the 'little plant' is connected to a much larger vine system with healthy roots and many branches.
The root system of one I uncovered appeared to be fairly old and had a tap root at least 12"-14" straight down. There were very few feeder roots visible or they were too tiny to notice.
That's about all I have for now, but I will add more information as I learn more about this pretty little yellow heat loving vine.
Since I first discovered the bloom of this plant, I've been able to locate several more of these growing in the hot dry sandy field down ...Read More