Description
Form: A twining vine.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Leaf retention: Evergreen.
Growth rate: Rapid.
Mature Size: 6-15' (1.8-4.5m) long.
Flowers: A large disc of orange or yellow florets, with long fluffy stamens, surrounded by many narrow orange rays bending slightly backward. The flowers are 2" (5cm) wide and fragrant.
Bloom: Spring and summer, sporadically the rest of the year.
Fruit: Each floret produces one dried fruit with a single seed (cypsela), with a long bristly tail. The cypsela form a white, fluffy ball before being dispersed by the wind like a dandelion. These plants are not self-fertile. Two plants are required to cross pollinate so the seeds will be viable.
Leaves: Green, highly variable in shape, 2-3 times longer than wide, pointed at tip, sometimes having toothed margins, thick.
Stems: Green, narrow, rounded. They root at nodes where they touch the ground and climb by twining.
Roots: Fibrous. This plant is invasive when its stems are allowed to touch moist soil where they will root.
Wildlife: The flowers attract butterflies and bees.
Toxic / Danger: No.
Origin: Mexico.

Cultivation and Uses
USDA hardiness zones: 9b-13. This plant dies to the ground below 30°F (-1.1°C) and comes back from its roots when winter temperatures stay above 20°F (-6.7°C).
Heat tolerant: Yes.
Drought tolerant: Weekly water is needed in high temperatures.
Sun: Full sun for the most flowers.
Planting: Mexican Flame Vine is best grown on a trellis, a fence or draped over a wall, in full sun, so that the stems do not touch ground. It can be grown in a container.
Soil: Well draining, dry, low in organic content, pH 6.1-7.8 (slightly acidic to slightly alkaline). Avoid fertilizing because that inhibits flowering and causes aggressive growth. This plant is salt intolerant, so chemical fertilizers must be avoided.
Water after becoming established: Once a month in winter, weekly in the hottest months of the year. The soil must dry out between waterings.
Mulch: Use organic mulch to shield the root area from winter freezes.
Prune: Cut back the tops of the vines to reinvigorate leaves and flowers at the bottom. This may need to be done twice a year.
Litter: Low.
Propagation: Cuttings or layering. Seed will not be viable unless cross-pollinated by two plants.
Uses: Ornamental vine or ground cover, butterfly garden.

Comments
Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides is a member of the Daisy family (Asteraceae).
This plant tends to lose leaves and flowers from the bottom up, so the vines have to be cut back to reinvigorate the bottoms.
The best way to prevent this vine from flowering is to [1] keep it away from full sun, [2] fertilize it, or [3] grow it in overly enriched soil. This is a desert plant adapted to full sun and poor soil.
Another scientific name, Senecio confusus, is also used to refer to this plant.

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