Ranunculaceae FAMILY

Clematis vitalba

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous[ 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. ], the toxic principle is dissipated by heat or by drying[ 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. ].

Botanical Description

Clematis vitalba is a very vigorous, rampant, deciduous climbing plant often growing around 10 - 15 metres tall though it can reach 30 metres. The wody stems are very slender when young, though can be 10cm or more in diameter in old plants. The plant scrambles over the ground, climbing into the surrounding vegetation where it attaches itself by means of twining leafstalks[ 273 Title Clematis - The Genus Publication Author Grey-Wilson. C. Publisher B. T. Batsford. London. Year 2000 ISBN 0-7134-7659-1 Description An excellent and well illustrated concise guide to all the known specis of Clematis. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEurasia - western Europe (Portugal to Britain and Germany) east through Turkey and the Caucasus to Iran & Afghanistan; N. Africa - Morocco, Algeria

HabitatDeciduous and mixed woodlands, woodland margins, hedgerows, bushy places, river banks, railway and road embankments, old walls and buildings, usually on calcareous soils[ 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 17 Title Flora of the British Isles. Publication Author Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1962 ISBN - Description A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures. , 273 Title Clematis - The Genus Publication Author Grey-Wilson. C. Publisher B. T. Batsford. London. Year 2000 ISBN 0-7134-7659-1 Description An excellent and well illustrated concise guide to all the known specis of Clematis. ].