Clematis paniculata flowering in Seed Source Gully, not to be confused with introduced invasive Clematis vitalba (old man's beard).
This is possibly the first time this species has flowered at the Manawa Karioi site in 150 years.
Although occasionally present in gardens, this is a great step towards re-establishing this plant in the local area using locally sourced seed, thereby helping to protect the local gene pool of this species.
Planted 5 years ago, this is an example of our efforts to re-establish the broad range of plants that once existed in the area.
These are female flowers - the species is diecious (has separate male and female plants). So we will need to establish a few male plants nearby to pollinate it.
Peter Russell
