2 New Books ** Edible Plants: An inspirational guide to choosing and growing unusual edible plants and Woodland Gardening (Forest) [Paperback]. more >>
Search Page Content
   Bookmark and Share
   
    By donating to PFAF, you can help support and expand our activities
    Plant Suppliers: Click here for a List
Clematis vitalba - L.                
                 
Common Name Traveller's Joy
Family Ranunculaceae
Synonyms
Known Hazards All parts of the plant are poisonous[7], the toxic principle is dissipated by heat or by drying[65].
Habitats Hedgerows and wood margins, usually on calcareous soils[7, 17].
Range Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands south and east to N. Africa and the Caucasus.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun

Summary       

Physical Characteristics       
 icon of manicon of climber
Clematis vitalba is a deciduous Climber growing to 15 m (49ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Oct to January. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies.


Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Clematis vitalba Traveller


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_Clematis_vitalba_L.jpg
Clematis vitalba Traveller
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pethan
   
Habitats       
Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Hedgerow;
Edible Uses                                         
Edible Parts: Leaves.
Edible Uses:

Young shoots - cooked and used like hop shoots (Humulus lupulus)[7, 46, 61]. Caution is advised due to reports of toxicity[7].
Medicinal Uses


Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Analgesic;  Bach;  Diuretic;  Homeopathy;  Rubefacient;  Skin.

The leaves are analgesic, diuretic and rubefacient[7, 61]. The boiled roots and stems are used as a cure for the itch[4]. When applied in the nostrils, the plant juice has been used to relieve migraine attacks, but it can also destroy the mucous membranes[7]. The plant should not be taken internally because it is poisonous[7]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and skin eruptions[238]. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Indifference', 'Dreaminess', 'Inattention' and 'Unconsciousness'[209]. It is also one of the five ingredients in the 'Rescue remedy'[209].
Other Uses
Basketry.

The stems are used in basketry[100, 115].
Cultivation details                                         
Prefers a deep moist soil with its roots in the shade[11, 200]. Dislikes poorly-drained heavy clay soils, but grows well in clay if grit is added for drainage[11, 200]. Dislikes light sandy soils[11]. Does well on chalk[1]. Dislikes acid soils below a pH of 6.0[186]. Succeeds in acid as well as alkaline soils[200]. Plants are hardy to about -18°c[202]. A twining plant[182]. The leafstalks wrap themselves around twigs and branches for support. When a side of the stalk touches an object, the growth on that side slows down whilst the other side grows at its normal rate - this causes the leaf stalk to entwine the object it is touching[186, 212]. It is capable of growing 2 metres in a year and can easily smother small trees and shrubs[186]. Another report says that it can grow 5 metres in a year[202]. When planting out, in order to avoid the disease 'clematis wilt', it is best to plant the rootball about 8cm deeper in the soil. This will also serve to build up a good root crown of growth buds[200]. The flowers are almond-scented[202]. They are produced on the current season's growth[219]. The plant is very amenable to pruning and can be cut back severely if required. This is best done in early spring[202]. A greedy plant, inhibiting growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[88, 200].
                                                                                 
Propagation                                         
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[164, 200]. Sow stored seed as soon as it is obtained in a cold frame. Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and remove as much of the tail and outer coat as possible[164]. A period of cold stratification is beneficial[164]. The seed germinates in 1 - 9 months or more at 20°c[164]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, taken between nodes, July/August in a frame[1]. Internodal cuttings of soft to semi-ripe wood, late spring in sandy soil in a frame. Layering of old stems in late winter or early spring[200]. Layering of current seasons growth in early summer[200].
Plant Suppliers: Click here for a List

      You can download this page as a PDF

Expert comment                                         
 
      
Author                                         
L.
                                                                                 
Botanical References                                         
1117200
                                                                                 
Links / References                                         

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[54]Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds.
Interesting reading.
[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[88]RHS. The Garden. Volume 112.
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.
[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[164]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
[182]Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos.
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
[186]Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs.
An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[202]Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs.
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
[209]Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.
[212]Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
[219]Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers comment                                         
 
QR Code

What's this?

This is a QR code (short for Quick Response) which gives fast-track access to our website pages. QR Codes are barcodes that can be read by mobile phone (smartphone) cameras. This QR Code is unique to this page. All plant pages have their own unique code. For more information about QR Codes click here.
1. Copy and print the QR code to a plant label, poster, book, website, magazines, newspaper etc and even t-shirts.
2. Smartphone users scan the QR Code which automatically takes them to the webpage the QR Code came from.
3. Smartphone users quickly have information on a plant directly for the pfaf.org website on their phone.
Rate This Plant                                         
Please rate this plants for how successful you have found it to be. You will need to be logged in to do this. Our intention is not to create a list of 'popular' plants but rather to highlight plants that may be rare and unusual and that have been found to be useful by website users. This hopefully will encourage more people to use plants that they possibly would not have considered before.
     
                                                                                 
Add a comment/link                                         

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at admin@pfaf.org. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

Subject : Clematis vitalba  
             

Links To add a link to another website with useful info add the details here
Name of Site
URL of Site
Details

                                        
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
   
 

All the information contained in these pages is Copyright (C) Plants For A Future, 1996-2012.
Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567,
Web Design & Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Some information cannot be used for commercial reasons or be modified (but some can). Please view the copyright link for more information.