Clematis vitalba L.
old man's beard
Deciduous woody climber; stems 6-angled, strongly ribbed. Lvs sparsely hairy, green, 1-pinnate, 12-20 × 8-16 cm; leaflets usually 5, rarely 3, thin, ovate, rarely lanceolate, truncate or cordate at base, acuminate; margin entire or toothed; lvs of young growth narrower, thinner, hairier, and more deeply toothed; petiole (3)-4-8 cm long, with sparse to dense fine silky hairs. Fls erect, ⚥, in compound axillary dichasial cymes. Bracts paired, spathulate to subulate, not united, inserted below middle of pedicel. Sepals 4-(5), valvate, greenish, densely hairy above and beneath, especially near margins, narrowly oblong to oblong-obovate, obtuse, 6-11-(15) × 2-4 mm. Anthers 1.5-2 mm long; filaments glabrous, linear. Achenes compressed, hairy, 2-2.5 mm long. Style 3-4 cm long at fruiting.
N.: Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Volcanic Plateau, East Cape, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, Wairarapa; S.: throughout except S. Westland and Fiordland; St.; Ch.
Europe, S.W. Asia 1940
Scrub, waste land, among willows, forest remnants, hedgerows.
FL Dec-May FT Mar-Oct.
Possibly poisonous (Connor 1977).
C. vitalba is a troublesome weed in second growth or damaged native forest. It climbs high into the canopy whenever there is sufficient light, and is difficult to eradicate. The sp. is often known as traveller's joy.
