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Ropevine clematis

Clematis pauciflora

Also called Southern California Clematis, Few Flowered Clematis

Ropevine clematis
Photo: Stickpen, Public domain

Ropevine clematis is a woody climbing vine native to dry chaparral and high desert slopes of southern California and Baja California, grown for its small pale yellow flowers. It needs good drainage and a sunny spot to do well.

Family
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Grows as
Climber
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry between waterings, and avoid wet roots.
Soil
Well-drained, lean or sandy loam; avoid heavy clay.
Temperature
Tolerates hot, dry summers and mild winters; protect from hard frost below about -5 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Like other clematis, the leaves and sap contain irritant compounds that can blister skin and irritate the mouth and stomach if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
S. California to NW. Mexico (to Chihuahua)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Clematis pauciflora is a species of clematis known by the common name ropevine. This flowering plant is native to the high desert and chaparral slopes of southern California and Baja California. It is a woody vine with nodes every few centimeters which produce leaves and flowers. The leaves are made up of several dark green lobed leaflets, each one to three centimeters wide. From each leaf-bearing node grows an inflorescence of one to three flowers with narrow petallike sepals in shades of light yellow. Most of the flower is made up of a spray of up to 50 stamens and almost as many similar-looking pistils. The fruit is an achene equipped with a long plume-like style. The specific epithet pauciflora is Latin for 'few-flowered'.

Where it grows

The plant is native between the Little San Bernardino Mountains and Baja California. Its natural range includes the Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego county areas of southern California. The plant is found in dry chaparral areas under 1300m in altitude, and is intermediate to its close relative Clematis lasiantha.

Other Clematis plants

Rush Stem Clematis · Clematis akebioides · Alpine clematis · Goat's Beard · Evergreen Clematis · Clematis aromatica · Pine hyacinth · Bigelow's leather flower · Traveler's-joy · Satincurls · Gold Wool Clematis · Early Virgin's Bower

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Clematis pauciflora by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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