Traveller's-joy - Clematis vitalba

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Alternative names
Old Man's Beard
Description

Stout, clambering, woody climber to 30 metres. Leaves pinnate with toothed leaflets. Flowers greenish white 18 to 20 mm, fragrant, in large panicles, terminal or lateral. Fruits forming large, silvery grey silky masses that persist well into the winter.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Hedgerows, scrub.

When to see it

July to September.

Life History

Deciduous.

UK Status

Locally fairly frequent in England south of the Humber and south Wales.

VC55 Status

Quite local in its distribution in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 50 of the 617 tetrads.

  • Frank Bedford
    Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail
    20 October 2020
    Traveller's-joy
  • Alan Semper
    Hose roadside
    24 August 2013
  • Graham Calow
    Claybrooke Magna
    31 March 2016
    seeds
  • Craig Mabbett
    Countesthorpe Road Cosby
    07 October 2016
  • Graham Calow
    Near Dadlington
    01 October 2015
  • David Nicholls
    The Brand, Woodhouse
    15 June 2013

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Traveller's-joy, Old Man's Beard
Species group:
Trees, Shrubs & Climbers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Ranunculales
Family:
Ranunculaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
76
First record:
24/08/1996 (Steve Woodward)
Last record:
04/09/2024 (lemmon, roy)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • David Nicholls
    Aylestone Meadows, Canal Street
    13 July 2021
  • Steve Harris
    footpath next to burbage churchyard
    21 July 2017
  • David Nicholls
    The Brand, Woodhouse
    15 June 2013
  • Melinda Bell
    Breedon Hill SSSI
    31 December 2018
  • Craig Mabbett
    Lutterworth Road Whetstone
    09 May 2018
  • Graham Calow
    Stoney Cove, Stoney Stanton
    19 January 2011
  • Frank Bedford
    Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail
    20 October 2020
    Traveller's-joy
  • Graham Calow
    Bramble Walk, Cosby
    29 March 2016
    seeds
  • Graham Calow
    Near Dadlington
    01 October 2015
  • Melinda Bell
    Breedon Hill
    19 August 2019
  • Annie Smith
    Grand Union Canal Barrow
    04 September 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Stoney Cove, Stoney Stanton
    13 August 2008
  • Melinda Bell
    Conkers Waterside
    02 August 2018
  • Alan Semper
    Hose roadside
    24 August 2013
  • Alan Semper
    Hose roadside
    24 August 2013
  • Alan Semper
    Harby , roadside
    28 August 2013
  • Saharima Roenisch
    Leicester Victoria Park
    30 June 2020
  • Andy's Rutland
    Horn Lane-Nr Empingham
    07 October 2018
  • Graham Calow
    Dadlington, Shenton Lane, Bridge 30 Ashby Canal
    06 May 2020