old man’s beard

Clematis vitalba

Member of clematis (genus Clematis)
buttercup family (family Ranunculaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

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• leaflets usually 5
• flowers in a terminal axillary panicle, i.e. in stalked clusters from the upper leaf axils
• not in Jepson; info from here
• rare, mostly in and near Muir Woods

Toxicity of clematis, leather flower (Clematis spp.):
1 – Skin contact with these plants can cause symptoms ranging from redness, itching, and rash to painful blisters like skin burns.
3 – Ingestion of these plants is expected to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms that may cause illness but is not life-threatening.

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Chris’s observations: none

Not all sites include this taxon:

• Clematis vitalba → iNaturalist – Calflora – CalPhotos – FNA
• not listed → Jepson eFlora

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora