Old Man's Beard

Did you know

• The fluffy seed heads persist through winter, looking like tangled white beards draped over hedgerows.
• Also called 'traveller's joy' because it brightens the roadsides and hedges where travelers walk.
• In some countries it is considered invasive, capable of smothering native trees under its dense canopy.
• The stems were once dried and smoked like cigarettes by rural children, earning it the name 'smokewood.'
• Despite its beauty, the sap contains protoanemonin which causes skin blistering — medieval beggars used it to create sores to gain sympathy.

Color meanings

Uses

• hedgerow cover
• ornamental vine
• wildlife shelter
• dried arrangements