Slender Janusia

Slender Janusia (Janusia gracilis) is a deciduous, perennial vine in the Malpighiaceae family. Native to the American southwest (Arizona, Texas and New Mexico) and flowering from April through October (depending on moisture), J. gracilis's yellow flowers are up to a half inch wide with five wrinkled, spoon-shaped petals followed by three-winged hairy seedpods. The lance-shaped leaves of J. gracilis are green, and occur sparsely along its trailing branches. It can grow up to ten feet long, its slender hairy stems twined and tangled through other plants; without this support it will only grow to a height and width of two feet. In its native habitat it grows on rocky hillsides and in arroyos between 1,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation. It is also found in ornamental gardens, where it requires full sun or light shade in well-drained soil.

Janusia gracilis A. Gray, PI. Wright. 1: 37. 1852 Stem and branches pale-pubescent ; leaf-blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, mostly 1-3 cm. long, acute or slightly acuminate, pubescent on both sides, but more densely so beneath, abruptly narrowed or rounded at the base, short-petioled ; sepals oblong to ovate-oblong, about 2.5 mm. long, the glands much less than one half the length of the sepal-body ; petals usually pale, turning reddish or brownish, the larger ones 4-5 mm. long; samaras 9-12 mm. long.
Type locality : Mountains east of El Paso, Texas.
Distribution : Western Texas to Arizona, Chihuahua, and Sonora.