Have You Seen This Plant?

Japanese Clematis
(Clematis terniflora)

Clematis terniflora flowers
Photos: ©2008 by Will Cook

This member of the buttercup family is native to Japan. It is a semi-evergreen vine that can grow as long as 40 feet in one year. Japanese clematis does best in forest edges, floodplains and stream and shorelines that receive full sun to part shade, but it can grow in full shade.

Clematis terniflora seeds

You can see this plant in flower now in our watershed. Its fragrant white four-petaled flowers are abundant, and will bear showy clusters of seeds with long feathery styles later this month. Japanese clematis looks similar to our native Virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana), but you can distinguish them from one another by looking at their leaves. Japanese clematis leaves are smooth, while those of Virgin's bower are toothed.

Although it is not widespread in New Jersey, Japanese clematis is a plant species we need to watch for and remove whenever we see it growing here. It grows so quickly that it easily tops native shrubs and trees, preventing them from getting the sunlight they need, and it can form dense mats that prevent sunlight from reaching the ground where young plants are sprouting. Our Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team has identified Japanese clematis as one of the invasive plant species that needs to be stopped in its tracks before it gains a foothold (roothold?) in this part of the state. If you see a plant that you think might be Japanese clematis on your property, or on property that you walk or drive past, please let us know. Call (908) 234-1852 or email Melissa Almendinger, our Invasive Species Project Coordinator -- we'll help you confirm its identity and determine the best way to remove it.

For more information about exotic invasive plants and URWA's efforts to eliminate newly emerging species from our region, please visit our Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team web pages. You'll also find out how you can become involved in this important effort!