On each golden clematis seed head there are about 20 individual seeds, each with an awn, the silvery trail some 40 mm long. The trail is designed to help carry the seed upon the wind, drifting it away from the parent plant.
Seeds require winter-chilling to maximize germination. Hydrated seeds do not survive long, and the dense feathery seed loads hanging in plants over winter can be regarded as a dry, aerial seed bank from which seeds can fall sporadically over the winter.