Ropevine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clematis pauciflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Clematis
Species:	C. pauciflora
Binomial name
Clematis pauciflora Nutt.
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Clematis pauciflora, often called ropevine, is a fascinating flowering plant. It's a type of clematis that grows like a woody vine. This plant is native to the sunny, dry areas of southern California and Baja California. You can find it on high desert slopes and in chaparral habitats.

What is Ropevine?

The ropevine plant is a woody vine. It has special spots called nodes every few centimeters along its stem. From these nodes, new leaves and flowers grow.

What Does it Look Like?

The leaves of the ropevine are dark green. Each leaf is made up of several smaller parts called leaflets. These leaflets have a lobed shape and are usually one to three centimeters wide.

The flowers are also quite unique. From each node where leaves grow, you'll see a cluster of one to three flowers. These flowers have narrow, petal-like parts called sepals. They are usually a light yellow color.

Most of the flower is filled with many tiny parts. There can be up to 50 stamens, which are the male parts. There are also almost as many pistils, which are the female parts. After the flower blooms, it produces a special type of fruit. This fruit is called an achene and has a long, feathery tail.

How Did it Get its Name?

The second part of the plant's scientific name, pauciflora, comes from Latin. It means 'few-flowered'. This name describes how the plant usually has only one to three flowers in each cluster.