Leaf
Hectonichus, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Traveller's joy
Clematis vitalba L.
Also known as: Old man's beard, Virgin's bower
Family: Ranunculaceae
woody climbing vine, up to 8 m long
Hedges, woodland edges, climbing over shrubs
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its fruits in silvery, silky tufts cover the hedgerows all through autumn and winter, long after flowering. The cultivated hybrid clematis bears large solitary purple flowers with broad petals, whereas traveller's joy, wild in our countryside, has a multitude of small white star-shaped flowers followed by silvery plumes.
🍃 Leaves
Opposite, compound, with generally 3 to 5 leaflets, often ovate to cordate; the petioles can twine around a support.
🌸 Flowers
Small, cream-white, strongly scented, abundant
🍎 Fruits
Achenes extended by a long plumed style, forming silky tufts
🪵 Bark
Long woody climbing vines
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, North Africa, western Asia; very common in hedges and woodland edges throughout France, except in the mountains.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Greenish-white flowers rich in nectar, visited by many insects; the plumed fruit tufts are useful to nesting birds.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Rarely planted in gardens because it is invasive, but tolerated in natural hedges for its climbing foliage.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Irritant plant: the sap can cause skin irritation and ingestion is toxic. Wear gloves when handling.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Traveller's joy
Clematis vitalba
Jackman's clematis
Clematis x jackmanii
The cultivated hybrid clematis bears large solitary purple flowers with broad petals, whereas traveller's joy, wild in our countryside, has a multitude of small white star-shaped flowers followed by silvery plumes.
🌿 Other Ranunculaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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