Noxious weeds in Gilpin County
Chinese/Oriental Clematis (Clematis orientalis L.)
Photo credits: Irene Shonle
Quick Facts:
Eradication of all live plants is required
throughout the entirety of all
Colorado counties.
-Perennial vine with solitary flowers with four yellow sepals (petal-like
structures).
-Each flower produces numerous feathery long-tailed seed heads fruits
which are conspicuous all winter.
-In Gilpin, Chinese clematis can be seen along side 119 coming up
from Clear Creek Canyon.
-Reproduces by seeds. In Gilpin County, it starts going to seed
mid-July.
-Prevent the spread of this species by eliminating seed production
from established stands, and discontinuing its use as an ornamental.
Hand pulling or weed whacking before it flowers and goes to seed
will help keep seeds from spreading.
Control:
Mechanical:
- Dig from moist soil, being certain to get all the roots
- Bag specimens carefully so as to not scatter seeds if flowering.
You may have to pull a few times over the season if it comes back
from the root.
Chemical:
- 2,4-D amine or ester is the best recommendation for homeowners
Apply at flowering growth stage, 2 qt product/Acre
Caution - will kill other flowers and possibly
trees; grass will not be harmed
CSU trials demonstrated that Weed-B-Gone 2,4-D (218 oz/A) controlled
78 or 80% of the Chinese Clematis.
No endorsement of this product implied, nor non-endorsement of
products not mentioned.
The soil seed reserve of clematis is unknown so the site must be
monitored for at least 10
years after the last flowering adult plants have been eradicated
and treatments repeated
when necessary.
Native look-alike: Western or White Virgin's
Bower Clematis
We do have several native Clematis which are NOT noxious weeds.
One of these is a vigorous, sprawling vine which can sometimes be
mistaken for Chinese Clematis-- particularly when it's not in flower.
Western, or Virgin's Bower Clematis, Clematis ligusticifolia,
has white flowers, not yellow. After they
have gone to seed, you can tell them apart by the fact that Chinese
clematis has solitary, larger seed heads (golf ball size), and the
Native clematis has clusters of 3 seed heads (ping pong ball size)
somewhat like the tines of a fork). The native clematis can be valuable
for erosion control and other ecosystem functions.
Photo credit: Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
For Further Information:
http://www.ag.state.co.us/CSD/Weeds/Brochures/Chinese_Clematis.pdf
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