Forest Clematis

Common Clematis vines are vigorous climbers, with opposite, compound leaves, each made up of three leaflets. Clematis glycinoides, which occurs in the rainforest, has thin leaflets with edges that are smooth (or with 1‒2 teeth near the base). These vines do not have tendrils, but the leaf stalk can elongate and act as a tendril, twining around any convenient support.

The male and female flowers are carried on separate plants, and appear similar until examined closely. The fruit is attractive, each “seed” (really a 1-seeded fruit) having a long, fluffy appendage, silvery in colour.

In late summer, when the fruits ripen, they are blown away by the wind.

DISTRIBUTION:
Wilsons Promontory, VIC to northern QLD