Clematis montana

Clematis montana (mountain clematis also Himalayan clematis or anemone clematis) is an early flowering plant of the genus Clematis. A vigorous deciduous climber, in late Spring it is covered with a mass of small blooms for a period of about four weeks. The flowers are white, four-petalled, with prominent yellow anthers. It is native to mountain areas of Asia from Afghanistan to Taiwan. Clematis montana is a popular garden plant in temperate regions, with the ability to scramble up and over unsightly features such as sheds and fences. Left unchecked it can grow to 12 m (39 ft). Numerous varieties and cultivars have been bred for horticultural use, including:- Those cultivars marked AGM have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. 'Clematis’ is the Greek name for several climbing plants, and is a diminutive of ‘klema’, which means ‘vine shoot’. The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains. The UK national collection of clematis montana is held at By The Way, at Woodfalls, near Salisbury, in Hampshire, within the New Forest National Park. Hundreds of clematis are integrated within the garden, many grown from British Clematis Society seed.