Species

Clematis afoliata

Etymology

Clematis: From the Greek klema 'vine', alluding to the vine-like habit of many species
afoliata: leafless

Common Name(s)

leafless Clematis

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Clematis afoliata Buchanan

Family

Ranunculaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CLEAFO

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Habitat

Often found in open rocky shrublands and, in South Island also in tussock grasslands.

Features

Stems grow up to 3m long and are stiff, wiry and grooved. These stems often form large bundles with an appearance like a large tangled wire or thick string. Branches are 3-4 mm in diametre and finely grooved and bound together by leaf tendrils. The leaves are severely reduced to petioles.

Flowering

October - November

Flower Colours

Green,White

Fruiting

December - January

Threats

Not Threatened although in some regions the open rocky habitats are subject to development pressure. Competition with naturalised plants also poses a threat to regeneration of this plant in some areas.

Chromosome No.

2n = 16

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Pappate achenes are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).

References and further reading

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309

This page last updated on 15 Aug 2014