Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Clematis pauciflora is a species in the Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) family known by the common name Small Leaved Clematis. This flowering plant is native to the chaparral slopes of southern California and Baja California, from the coast to the high desert. It is a woody vine with nodes every few centimeters which produce leaves and flowers. The leaves are made up of several dark green lobed leaflets, each one to three centimeters wide. From each leaf-bearing node grows a flower cluster of one to three flowers with narrow petal-like sepals in shades of light yellow. Most of the flower is made up of a spray of up to 50 stamens and almost as many similar-looking pistils. The fruit is an achene equipped with a long plumelike style. This plant is usually found growing up through larger chaparral shrubs.

Plant type

Perennial herb, Vine

Size


15 ft Wide

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous

Fragrance

Slight

Calscape icon
Color

White, Yellow

Flowering season

Winter, Spring

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils including sand and clay.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Maintenance

Prune back excess growth in late summer or fall

Sunset Zones

7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Chaparral slopes and canyons of southern California

Plant communities

Chaparral

Plant this vine near a large, openly branched shrub that it can climb up, such as Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides or minutiflorus), Summer Holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. diversifolia), Flannelbush (Fremontodendron spp.), Silk Tassel Bush (Garrya spp.), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Mallow (Malacothamnus spp.), Laurel Sumace (Malosma laurina), Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia), Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia or xacutidens), and Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor)

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 7 likely

Confirmed Likely

Alcathoe verrugo

Fatal Metalmark

Calephelis nemesis

Eupithecia maestosa

Tamarack Looper

Eupithecia misturata