Clematis?

Do an Image search for Clematis seedhead and see what you think.

This post was edited by missingtheobvious on Fri, Feb 21, 14 at 21:02

Clematis virginiana is found in MI but the seed head appears quite different, at least in this pix:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/trees-shrubs-vines/clematis-virginiana-virgins-bower.html

Clematis tangutica, Clematis ligusticifolia, Clematis terniflora, all have similar looking seed heads. USDA says none are present in MI, but BONAP mapping does seem to show Clematis terniflora present in MI so I am going to go with that one for now and see if I can find it again this spring/summer and maybe confirm when leaves and flowers are showing,

Thanks for all the leads and assistance.

C. ternifolia is a fall-bloomer in central OH, and you're north of that. Since you spotted the seeds in Nov, the blooms probably happened soon before, though Clem seeds can hang on for a while. As pervasive as that Clem is in OH, I'd be surprised if there wasn't some in MI too.

On the state search, USDA indicates 2 Clems I don't know, C. occidentalis and virginiana.

One thing that is a little distorting about my photo is that it was taken from the back side of the seed head, which makes it a little hard to match up to other photos that are taken from the front, or head on.