Clematis vitalba (also known as old man's beard
Description
Clematis vitalba is a climbing shrub with branched, grooved
Plant stem,
deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying
. The many fruits formed in each
inflorescence have long silky appendages which, seen together, give the characteristic appearance of
old man's beard. The grooves along the stems of
C. vitalba can easily be felt when handling the plant.
This species is eaten by the of a wide range of . This includes many species which are reliant on it as their sole foodplant; including small emerald, small waved umber and Haworth's pug.
Range
C. vitalba has a preference for base rich alkaline soils and moist climate with warm summers. The species is native to
Eurasia and
North Africa.
United Kingdom
In the UK it is a native plant and is common throughout England south of a line from the
River Mersey and the
River Humber. It also commonly occurs in southern, Eastern and northern Wales. Outside of these areas it is widely planted and occurs as far north as the southern highlands of Scotland.
[New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora]
As an invasive species
Due to its disseminators reproductive system, vitality, and climbing behavior,
Clematis vitalba is an invasive plant in many places.
The species is capable of rapid growth, climbing several times faster than
English ivy, and each plant may produce in excess of 100,000 seeds. The plant may also spread through stem and root fragmentation.
New Zealand
In
New Zealand it is declared an "unwanted organism" and is listed in the National Pest Plant Accord. It cannot be sold, propagated or distributed. It is a potential threat to native plants since it grows vigorously and forms a canopy which smothers all other plants and has no natural controlling organisms in New Zealand. New Zealand native species of
Clematis have smooth stems and can easily be differentiated from
C. vitalba by touch.
North America
In
North America, old man's beard is considered an invasive species. It is found in Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia. The species is also found in the eastern United States.
[ The species was introduced as an ornamental plant in the Pacific Northwest sometime between 1950 and 1970.][
]
Characteristics
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Reproductive organs:
-
Seed:
-
Type of fruit: achene
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Dissemination: With the wind
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Habitat and distribution:
C. vitalba grows well in limey soils.
Diseases
C. vitalba suffers from tomato spotted wilt virus.
Use
Clematis vitalba was used to make rope during the Stone Age in Switzerland.[Johnson, Magnus. 2001. The genus Clematis. Södertälje: Magnus Johnsons Plantskola AB, p. 37.] In Slovenia, the stems of the plant were used for weaving baskets for onions and also for binding crops.[Petauer, Tomaž. 1993. Leksikon rastlinskih bogastev. Ljubljana: Tehniška založba Slovenije, p. 139.] It was particularly useful for binding sheaves of grain because mice do not gnaw on it.[ Kržan, Vanja. 2010. "Mi pa oznanjamo Kristusa, križanega (1 Kor 1,23)." Zaveza 42 (25 February). ] In Italy, the sprouts are harvested to make omelettes (called "vitalbini" in Tuscany, "visoni" in Veneto).
==Gallery==
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