young shoot icon Home All plants About

Clematis vitalba L.

Traveller's-joy (en), Viorne des pauvres (fr), Herbe aux gueux (fr), Clématite des haies (fr), Clématite vigne blanche (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Ranunculales > Ranunculaceae > Clematis

Characteristics

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.
More
Stems climbing with tendril-like petioles and leaf-rachises, to 12 m. Leaf blade pinnately 5-foliolate; leaflets cordiform, 8 × (2-)3-5(-6) cm, margins entire to regularly crenate or dentate; surfaces abaxially minutely pubescent on veins, adaxially glabrous. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, (3-)5-22-flowered cymes. Flowers bisexual; pedicel 1-1.5 cm, slender; sepals wide-spreading, not recurved, white to cream, elliptic or oblanceolate to obovate, ca. 1 cm, length ca. 2 times width, abaxially and adaxially tomentose; stamens ca. 50; filaments glabrous; staminodes absent; pistils 20 or more. Achenes nearly terete, not conspicuously rimmed, densely pubescent; beak ca. 3.5 cm.
A woody climber. It is like fragrant clematis (Clematis flammula) but more robust. It grows to 30 m long. The leaves are once divided. The leaflets often have teeth. The flowers are greenish-white. The petals are hairy on both surfaces. The fruit are dry and one seeded. They are covered by poufs of white hairs.
Pending.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support climber
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread anemochory
Mature width (meter) 2.5 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 12.5
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It grows in mild temperate climates. It grows in woodland and old hedges. It does best on alkaline or chalky soils in an open sunny position. It is resistant to drought but sensitive to frost. Tasmania Herbarium.
More
Deciduous and mixed woodlands, woodland margins, hedgerows, bushy places, river banks, railway and road embankments, old walls and buildings, usually on calcareous soils.
Light 4-8
Soil humidity 3-6
Soil texture 1-5
Soil acidity 5-9
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-7

Usage

The leaves are boiled then used in stews. They are used as a spice. The young sprouts are eaten. The young shoots are pickled and used in omelettes. CAUTION: Most Clematis contain an irritant poison.
Uses environmental use food gene source material medicinal ornamental poison spice
Edible leaves shoots
Therapeutic use Blood (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Kidney (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Rubefacient (unspecified), Scrofula (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Vesicant (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified)
Human toxicity toxic (whole)
Animal toxicity toxic (whole)

Cultivation

It can be grown by cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 270
Germination temperacture (C°) 19 - 22
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Clematis vitalba habit picture by johann m (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba habit picture by Ettore vecchi (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba habit picture by christophe gorla (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Clematis vitalba leaf picture by Nathalie Cousturian (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba leaf picture by gaylor17 touzet (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba leaf picture by Axelle Jaffuel (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Clematis vitalba flower picture by trijota (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba flower picture by Pascal Dupuis (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba flower picture by Peponhood (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Clematis vitalba fruit picture by Peter Katzenberger (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba fruit picture by ferstelich siegrun (cc-by-sa)
Clematis vitalba fruit picture by Markus Enz (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Clematis vitalba world distribution map, present in Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Algeria, Spain, Estonia, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Croatia, Hungary, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:710194-1
WFO ID wfo-0000610926
COL ID VYJ3
BDTFX ID 18235
INPN ID 91886
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Clematis pilosa Clematis sepium Clematis taurica Anemone vitalba Clematis bannatica Clematis crenata Clematis dumosa Clematis scandens Clematis vitalba Clematitis vitalba Viorna clematitis Clematis dumosa Clematis transiens Clematis odontophylla Clematis bellojocensis Clematis vitalba var. syriaca Clematis vitalba var. timbali Clematis vitalba var. angustiloba Clematis vitalba var. angustisecta Clematis vitalba var. bannatica Clematis vitalba var. cordata Clematis vitalba var. integra Clematis vitalba var. simplicifolia
WorldFloraDB 2024