About Clematis brachiata Thunb.
Clematis brachiata, commonly called traveller's joy, is a hardy deciduous liana from Southern Africa that belongs to the plant family Ranunculaceae. This species typically clambers up to the tops of trees and shrubs, sprawling out over their crowns. Its leaves are compound, bearing between 1 and 7 leaflets. It produces attractive, strongly scented flowers during the summer season. Its achenes are covered in fine silky hairs. Clematis brachiata is common in the northern regions of South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal. It was first formally described by celebrated Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg, who lived from 1743 to 1828. The genus name Clema comes from Greek, meaning a liane. The Latin specific epithet brachiata translates to "provided with arms", a reference to the species' right-angled opposite branching pattern, which resembles arms extending out from a torso.
