tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6224833107657838443.post2749110116409323898..comments2023-09-08T10:52:39.352-04:00Comments on musings from dave: just another day in paradisesarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433184291061135740noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6224833107657838443.post-1376834445815041842011-07-02T13:42:19.730-04:002011-07-02T13:42:19.730-04:00Maybe this is a case of what botanists call conver...Maybe this is a case of what botanists call convergent evolution: two unrelated plants develop the same feature or structure. For example, here in Austin I've noticed that Clematis drummondii branches in the same unusual way that Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) does, though the two species are in different botanical families. So much to learn....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6224833107657838443.post-44025950796191975882011-07-02T12:29:15.909-04:002011-07-02T12:29:15.909-04:00Thanks for the cattail info! As to the other one -...Thanks for the cattail info! As to the other one - you're right, the flowers look very similar. But the leaves match up with the description for T. polygamum exactly - 30-times pinnate, blunt lobes. I'll keep an eye out for clematis; there are apparently three kind that grow here, all of them vines.sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00433184291061135740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6224833107657838443.post-46715698666981693492011-07-02T10:21:16.361-04:002011-07-02T10:21:16.361-04:00I'm glad you have cool mornings. The ones in A...I'm glad you have cool mornings. The ones in Austin these days start out near 80 degrees.<br /><br />With regard to the cattail, the dense flowers below the dividing line are female and the ones above are male (talk about strict segregation of the sexes).<br /><br />The flowering plant that you say can grow from 1 to 5 ft. tall appears to be a species of Clematis (of which there are many). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com