Clematis species

The Australian Clematis species are more robust and drought tolerant than their highly bred exotic relatives. They're also evergreen - for the most part - with more demure flowers in white, cream or greenish.

The most widespread species is Clematis microphylla (Small-leafed Clematis) which can be found everywhere except the Northern Territory. But don't despair if you live up north, because Clematis pickeringii is an excellent vigorous climber for tropical gardens.

Of the approximate 250 species of Clematis in the world, not to mention all the cultivars, only six or seven are endemic to Australia. Anyone familiar with the exotic ones would readily recognise the Australian species as being a Clematis; the flowers, even though they aren't quite as big and gaudy, and even the leaves, which are often the familiar divided leaves, are still immediately recognisable.

All Clematis produce the star-shaped female and male flowers on different plants. After flowering, the fruit develops from the female flowers into an achene (small dry fruit) with a long tail of silky plumes.

Clematis aristata (Austral Clematis or, the less inspiring, Goat's Beard - pictured left)

This is a reasonably vigorous twining climber that is a widely cultivated species in eastern Australia. It's very spectacular in flower (from August to March), as it can be absolutely covered in dazzling white. The fruit persists on the female plant and because it has plumes about 4cm in length, this creates another beautiful display.

It can be a very variable species, though, depending on where it is found, and there are now a number of recognised varieties. It's easy to grow but doesn't tolerate bad drainage and will grow in shade to full sun.

Clematis microphylla (Small-leaved Clematis - pictured right)

Not only is it naturally widespread, this light climber is popular in cultivation too. It is also intolerant of bad drainage, but grows in most soil types. It's especially good in coastal areas, where it is grown as a groundcover as well as a climber.

Despite being widespread, it's actually not a variable species and looks fairly uniform wherever it grows. The flowers are greenish cream and are produced from August to November. It needs full sun.

Clematis pickeringii

This Clematis can be found throughout the islands north of Australia, including Java, Timor and New Guinea. In Australia it can only be found naturally in the monsoonal rainforests in the north. It's a vigorous climber, capable of growing to 20 metres, so it needs a strong structure to support it. The flowers, which are produced in December and January, can be up to 3cm across, and the plumes on the fruit can be up to 6cm long, making this a showier species.

It can be deciduous during the dry season, but when plants are dormant they can easily be transplanted.

Other Clematis species

There are several other species, but these are not widely cultivated.

Clematis fawcettii

A small to medium climber that is only found in a few highland areas of central northern NSW.

Clematis gentianoides (Bush Clematis)

This Tasmanian species is actually more a spreading shrub. It is fairly widespread in open forest and rocky slopes. It's fairly hardy but does better with extra water during dry periods.

Clematis glycinoides (Forest Clematis)

A vigorous climber found in moist forests and rainforests from Cape York Peninsula to eastern Victoria. Although it is very attractive in flower it's not as widely grown as C. aristata and this is probably because it has proven less adaptable and needs cooler moist conditions with plenty of extra water in dry periods. It also prefers shaded conditions.

Clematis pubescens (Western Clematis)

This species is only found in Western Australia's jarrah and karri forests in the south-west corner. It's not widely grown, even though it is a very good plant for cultivation.

Propagation

Clematis can be tricky to propagate. The seed is often difficult to germinate, and one of the reasons is that it needs to be fresh. The other method is by cuttings but because there is a long distance between nodes, the cuttings are long and can usually only contain two nodes - one at the bottom for root initiation, and the other at the top, for growth. They can also be very slow to strike. Many nurseries can supply native clematis, especially indigenous native nurseries.

Information sources:

Elliot, W.R. & Jones, D., 1989, Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation, published by Lothian.
Wrigley, J.W. & Fagg, M., 2003, Australian Native Plants, fifth edition, published by Reed New Holland.
Photographs courtesy of Iain Harrison, Swinburne Institute of Technology TAFE.

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