Old man's beard Clematis vitalba

Features

Clematis vitalba (also known as old man's beard and traveller's joy) is a shrub of the family Ranunculaceae.

Species	woody climbing plant
Living space	Cultivated areas, Treeline
Size	up to 30 cm

Description

Clematis vitalba is a climbing shrub with branched, grooved stems, deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying sepals. 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 larvae of a wide range of moths. This includes many species which are reliant on it as their sole foodplant; including small emerald, small waved umber and Haworth's pug. It prefers to thrive on neutral soils rich in nitrogen. It blooms most in bright places. It is widespread and common throughout Slovenia.