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Old Man's Beard
Crowfoot Family : Ranunculaceae
Latin Name : Clematis drummondii
Longevity : Perennial
Season : Warm
Origin : Native
Value : Wildlife – fair to good (cover)
Livestock – poor
Remarks :
Other common names include, "Texas virgin's
bower", "Goatbeard", "Grandad beard", "Drummond
clematis", and "Love-in-the-mist" to mention a few. This
vine has slender, woody stems with twining petioles. Found
growing on fence-lines and over shrubs and rocks on well
drained soils. It is a dioeceous plant, with male and female
flowers on separate plants. The flowers on both are inconspicuous,
appearing in the spring and summer, but on the
females they are followed by extremely showy fruits with 3
inch-long silvery tails from August to October. The long
silvery tails resemble an "Old man's beard", thus the name
reference. This plant is cold hardy into the teens, but will
grow from the roots the next spring. It can tolerate moisture
as well as drought. Once established, it is almost impossible
to eliminate. Provides fair to good cover for ground nesting
birds. Muledeer sometimes browse the leaves.
Source: USDA-NRCS
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