Clematis vitalba - Old Man's Beard - (Ranunculaceae)

Another common name for this wild flower is Traveller's Joy. It is a perennial clambering plant, producing pale creamy- yellow flowers, typically 20 mm across, in July and August. The fruiting heads, which appear in autumn, are a mass of white fluffy seeds - hence the common name Old Man's Beard.

Traveller's Joy is common throughout southern England and in Ireland but does not venture very far into Scotland. It can be found throughout Wales.

Clematis vitalba growing at Nicholaston in Wales

Clematis vitalba photographed at Nicholaston Dunes on the Gower Peninsula in Wales - picture by kind permission of Gordon Benson

You will find this vine-like plant growing in hedges and on scrubby woodland. It is particularly common in limestone and chalk areas including sand dunes, but we have seen this plant in slightly acidic habitats, too.