Scientific Name:
Clematis vitalba
Pronunciation:
KLEM-uh-tiss vy-TAL-buh
Common Name:
traveller's joy
Family Name:
Ranunculaceae
Plant Type:
Invasive plant, Vine - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Stems up to 4m in length, becoming very woody; leaves opposite, compound with 5(-7) lance-shaped, leaflets, 5-8cm long x 3-5cm wide, entire to coarsely toothed or lobed, +/- petiole tendrils; flowers lemon-yellow, nodding, with 4(-6) hairy petal-like sepals (bell-shaped at first and then split as the petals spread), about 50 stamens and 20 pistils; achenes oval to 5mm long with attractive duck down-like tails 2-3.5cm long. Winter ID: twigs ridged along length and across nodes; petioles remain, tendrils; buds opposite, ovoid, scales pointy.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Climbing
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
High, Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme, Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
White, Green
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Sep
Additional Info:
Many simple pistils
Fruit Type:
Aggregate fruit, Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown (Whitish)
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Feathery styles elongate and persist attached to small hairy seed
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Other
Organ Modifications:
Tendrils, Twining
Propagation:
Seed, Layering, Division - above ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Caterpillar or cutworm, Leaf miner insect
