Puawananga – Clematis paniculata
Photographed on the Fuchsia Track at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand.
There are few more beautiful inflorescences than the large panicles of white flowers, 2–4 inches in diameter, of the puawhananga (Clematis paniculata) which appear in late winter and spring in the crowns of forest trees throughout New Zealand. This is one of the nine or so species of Clematis endemic to New Zealand. Altogether, there are about 250 species in this genus, mostly in temperate regions. Apart from the native ones, at least two introduced ones have become garden escapes. The commonest is the traveller's joy, C. vit-alba which has become a serious plant pest, smothering native forest and choking out the light until the trees they climb on die. C. paniculata will climb to heights of 30 or more feet and the vine can increase to a thickness of as much as 6 inches through at ground level. Leaves are three foliate, and the broadly ovate leaflets are 2–3 in. long, entire to bluntly toothed. The leaves of seedlings and juveniles are much narrower.
Crowe (which native forest plant –Penguin) described a beautiful Maori legend for these “stars of the forest”. To some tribes whauwhaupaku (the five finger tree) and puawananga were the offspring of Puanga (Rigel, the bright star of Orion) and Rehua (Antares, the bright star of Scorpion). Their rising as morning stars signals the approach of summer, the period between these two events (June to November) coinciding with the flowering, first, of whauwhaupaku and then puawananga.
Puawananga – Clematis paniculata
Photographed on the Fuchsia Track at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand.
There are few more beautiful inflorescences than the large panicles of white flowers, 2–4 inches in diameter, of the puawhananga (Clematis paniculata) which appear in late winter and spring in the crowns of forest trees throughout New Zealand. This is one of the nine or so species of Clematis endemic to New Zealand. Altogether, there are about 250 species in this genus, mostly in temperate regions. Apart from the native ones, at least two introduced ones have become garden escapes. The commonest is the traveller's joy, C. vit-alba which has become a serious plant pest, smothering native forest and choking out the light until the trees they climb on die. C. paniculata will climb to heights of 30 or more feet and the vine can increase to a thickness of as much as 6 inches through at ground level. Leaves are three foliate, and the broadly ovate leaflets are 2–3 in. long, entire to bluntly toothed. The leaves of seedlings and juveniles are much narrower.
Crowe (which native forest plant –Penguin) described a beautiful Maori legend for these “stars of the forest”. To some tribes whauwhaupaku (the five finger tree) and puawananga were the offspring of Puanga (Rigel, the bright star of Orion) and Rehua (Antares, the bright star of Scorpion). Their rising as morning stars signals the approach of summer, the period between these two events (June to November) coinciding with the flowering, first, of whauwhaupaku and then puawananga.