Clematis vitalba - Old Man's Beard

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Ranunculales - Family: Ranunculaceae

Another common name for this wild flower is Traveller's Joy.

Description

Pinnate compound leaves each comprising three to five eliptical, toothed leaflets grow in an opposite arrangement. White flowers with conspicuous stamens form dense clusters. Individual flowers are typically 2cm across and have four tepals (in fact they are sepals, not petals).

Blooming times

Old Man's Beard is a perennial clambering plant, producing pale creamy-yellow flowers in July and August and greyish-white fluffy seedheads that persist through the winter months.

The fruiting heads, which appear in autumn, are a mass of white fluffy seeds - hence the common name Old Man's Beard.

Distribution

Traveller's Joy is common throughout southern England and in Ireland but does not venture very far into Scotland. It can also be found throughout Wales.

Habitat

You will find this vine-like plant growing in hedges and on scrubby woodland. It is particularly common in limestone and chalk areas including sand dunes, but we have seen this plant in slightly acidic habitats, too.