Identifying old man's beard
Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba) has:
five leaflets per stem, and
ribbed vines
If it has smooth vines and three or six leaflets per stem, it's likely a native clematis and should be left to grow.
Old Man's Beard showing furrowed older vine and ribbed shoot with five leaflets on the stem
Creamy white flowers appear in Dec-Mar
with the seeds appearing as a distinctive beard in Mar-July
Don't confuse it with the native pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia australis). This also grows rapidly at the forest edge and smothers regenerating bush, but provides food for native lizards and insects.The leaves are very different - broadly oval and dark green.
Muehlenbeckia australis
