I never saw the flowers even though I make it a point of hiking through this area regularly. Due to the chewed off tops, it is quite possible if I had visited a few days or a week later I may not have seen these plants either. bboy - not sure if you are referring to the plant's odd name or if you think they were eaten by horses, but on that note, while I was looking up info about "horse gentain" it was noted that nobody really knows why it was given this name :-)

Bingo! It is definitely Penstemon. I had hit a dead end with this one, so I am grateful for everyone's help. Who knows; maybe someday I can answer a question or two. Cheers, Doug

Hello Joe Just wanted to let you know that I found the name of the plant. You were right it was in fact a euphorbia. Euphorbia bougheyi Thanks for putting me on the right track Joy

Oh, and Selaginella isn't really a climbing plant, it's more of a spreading plant. It's good for hanging baskets and mixed planters - likes moist shade. I've used it sparingly in terrariums, but it can spread quite rapidly so needs some maintenance.