Common names:
Chaparral clematis, pipestem clematis
Family:
Scientific name:
Clematis lasiantha
Main flower color:
Range:
South and west California
Height:
Up to 12 feet; climbing or spreading
Habitat:
Open woodland, grassy hillsides, chaparral
Leaves:
Shiny, green; stalks with 3 to 5 leaflets each divided into 3 lobes with toothed edges, up to 2 inches long
Season:
January to June
Flowers of clematis lasiantha, the chaparral clematis, consist of four ovate white or cream-colored sepals, lightly hairy on both sides, and a center of stamens and pistils, each numbering up to 100 - noticeably more than the otherwise similar clematis ligusticifolia, which has a wider geographical distribution. Buds are spherical, and pale yellow in color. Flowers grow singly but plants produce many dozen stems, and spread readily to form large clumps. The chaparral clematis is most common along the California coast and the southwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
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