The delightful, delicate, bell shaped flowers of Clematis cirrhosa appear towards the end of the year, after the flowering time of most other plants. Their pollen and nectar provide valuable nutrition for the bees, particularly bumble bees which remain active until the winter months; the bees in return carry pollen from one flower to another, resulting in fertilisation. The four white petals surround a circle of stamens which in surround the stigma, all parts are tinged with green. The stems are often intertwined with the twiggy shrubs and other climbing plants, such as Smilax aspera. The leaves are shiny, dark green and fleshy and are evergreen.