Occasional observations on the wildflowers of 91011.
People sometimes wrongly suppose that Wild Cucumber is a parasitic vine and rip it off of the plants it’s climbing on. But in my experience, they never attack another common vine (also not a parasite!) that is actually larger and heavier. We’re talking here about Chaparral Clematis (Clematis lasiantha), which climbs up shrubs and even covers trees as much or more than Wild Cucumber does.
Why don’t hikers rip clematis vines off of trees and shrubs? Maybe because clematis is a woody vine and therefore heavier. But I think a better explanation is this: it’s prettier. I hate to play favorites, but the small white stars on Wild Cucumber are easily upstaged by the graceful, cream-yellow flowers of Chaparral Clematis, with an almost uncountable number of slender stamens springing like star-trails from a delicate base of four pale sepals. Individual blossoms are spectacular. But so also is the big picture, as Chaparral Clematis often drapes itself over another plant like a sinuous garland of a hundred blossoms or more.
Chaparral Clematis goes by a number of picturesque and even fanciful common names, which are often applied also to the other Clematis species in Southern California. It’s sometimes called Pipestem, because clematis flowers have such a long stalk. But it’s also called Virgin’s Bower, which might be a nod to the extremely soft or downy appearance of the flowers — presumably, someone once thought they’d be suitable as a bed for the Christ-child.
But it’s not just the flowers that look soft and downy! When Chaparral Clematis goes to seed, each flower leaves behind a cluster of fuzzy seeds that are all attached to a single stalk. This mop-headed appendage has sometimes been nicknamed Weasel Tail. It is, in any case, by turns peculiar and attractive, and it’s a nice change to see a plant that is fun to look at even after its beautiful flowers are long gone.
Where and when to find it. Chaparral Clematis (Clematis lasiantha) is common in California throughout the coastal ranges and in the western foothills of the Sierras. It’s also common in the San Gabriels, but mostly in the front range. (Further back in the San Gabriels, as well as in moister areas, you can expect to find its close relative, Creek Clematis, Clematis ligusticifolia). Locally, you can find Chaparral Clematis on Mt. Lukens and in the Arroyo Seco, but also at Cherry Canyon along the Conservancy Trail, the Forest Hill Fire Road, and the north end of the Cerro Negro Trail. Buds appear in March, blossoms in April, and the weasels will show their tails shortly after the blossoms fade.
- For more about Chaparral Clematis, visit Wikipedia.
- For information about growing Clematis lasiantha in your yard, visit Calscape.org.
- For distribution maps, taxonomy, and more photos, visit Calflora.org.
- You can also read (or subscribe to) other occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011.
