Clematis virginiana

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Clematis virginiana
Clematis virginiana 001.JPG
Close-up of inflorescences
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Clematis
Species:
C. virginiana
Binomial name
Clematis virginiana
L.

Clematis virginiana (also known as devil's darning needles, devil's hair, love vine, traveller's joy, virgin's bower, Virginia virgin's bower, wild hops, and woodbine; syn. Clematis virginiana L. var. missouriensis (Rydb.) Palmer & Steyermark [1] ) is a vine of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup family) native to North America from Newfoundland to southern Manitoba down to the Gulf of Mexico. The rationale for some of the common names is unclear, as they include examples normally applied to unrelated plants, including twining parasites (e.g. "devil's hair" for Cuscuta ). The name "Love Vine" also is applied to alleged aphrodisiacs, such as Caribbean species of Cassytha , which are unrelated to Clematis, not being in the family Ranunculaceae.

Contents

Description

This plant is an aggressively growing vine which can climb to heights of 3–6 m (10–20 ft) by twisting leafstalks. The leaves are opposite and pinnately compound, trifoliate (3 leaflets) that have coarse unequal teeth on the margins. It produces small dull white flowers of width 13 to 19 mm (12 to 34 in) from July to September that are faintly sweetly fragrant; sometimes dioecious so that there are separate staminate (male) and pistillate (female) plants. The male plants are a little showier in flower and don't bear seed. The dry fruit is an achene with long hair as silvery gray feathery plumes attached in late August into November. It grows on the edges of the woods, moist slopes, fence rows, in thickets and on streambanks. It grows in full sun to light full shade and is very adaptable to many soils from sandy to clay, dry to draining wet, and acid to alkaline with a pH range of 6.0 to 8.5. It has a deep but sparse, fibrous root system that makes it hard to transplant.

Cultivation

Suited for USDA hardiness zones of 3 to 8, C. virginiana is not commonly planted in gardens and landscapes in most places. However, it is sold by a good number of native plant nurseries and some specialty and large conventional nurseries.[ citation needed ]

What is usually sold at most conventional nursery or garden center is the similar sweet autumn clematis, Clematis terniflora , favored due its heavier leaf coverage, pleasant aroma, and ability to flourish more in shade. [2] Due to its propensity for self-sprouting, the rampant growing sweet autumn clematis quickly can become invasive when introduced to the native habitat of Clematis virginiana. [3]

Ecology

It is a larval host of the clematis clearwing moth ( Alcathoe caudata ). [4]

Related Research Articles

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Clematis is a genus of about 380 species within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids and cultivars have been popular among gardeners, beginning with Clematis 'Jackmanii', a garden staple since 1862; more cultivars are being produced constantly. They are mainly of Chinese and Japanese origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch-hazel</span> Genus of plants

Witch-hazels or witch hazels (Hamamelis) are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America, and one each in Japan (H. japonica) and China (H. mollis). The North American species are occasionally called winterbloom.

<i>Clematis texensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis texensis, commonly called scarlet leather flower, is a climbing vine in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is native to the United States, where it is endemic to the Edwards Plateau of Texas. Its natural habitat is on rocky limestone cliffs and streamsides.

<i>Clematis flammula</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis flammula, the fragrant virgin's bower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. This deciduous climbing plant is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, but it is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant in gardens. It bears fragrant white flowers and small green achenes. When the flowers are newly opened they have a strong sweet almond fragrance. Clematis × aromatica, the scented clematis, is the result of a cross with Clematis integrifolia.

<i>Beesia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Beesia is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family. It was named in 1915 after the plant nursery firm Bees of Chester, who financed the plant hunting trips of George Forrest and Frank Kingdon-Ward in China.

<i>Clematis ligusticifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis ligusticifolia is a climbing, spreading vine with showy flowers. It is also known as old-man's beard, yerba de chiva, and virgin's bower,. It is native to North America where it is widespread across the western United States in streamside thickets, wooded hillsides, and coniferous forests up to 8,500 feet (2,600 m).

<i>Clematis terniflora</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis terniflora is a plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to northeastern Asia. It was introduced into the United States in the late 1800s as an ornamental garden plant, and has naturalized in many of the eastern states. It is considered a Category II invasive plant in north and central Florida and some other eastern states, meaning it is invading native plant communities but has not yet seen as displacing native species.

<i>Tephrosia virginiana</i> Species of legume

Tephrosia virginiana, also known as goat-rue, goat's rue, catgut, rabbit pea, Virginia tephrosia, hoary pea, and devil's shoestring is a perennial dicot in family Fabaceae. The plant is native to central and eastern North America.

<i>Clematis viticella</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis viticella, the Italian leather flower, purple clematis, or virgin's bower, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. This deciduous climber was the first clematis imported into English gardens, where it was already being grown in 1569 by Hugh Morgan, apothecary to Elizabeth I. By 1597, when it was already being called "virgin's bower", there were two varieties in English gardens, a blue and a red.

<i>Thalictrum fendleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Thalictrum fendleri is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Fendler's meadow-rue. It is named in honor of Augustus Fendler.

<i>Clematis</i> Jackmanii Vine cultivar

Clematis 'Jackmanii' is a Clematis cultivar which, when it was introduced in 1862, was the first of the modern large-flowered hybrid clematises of gardens. It is a climber with large violet-purple blooms, still among the most familiar climbers seen in gardens. It was produced from crosses made by the prominent nurseryman George Jackman (1837–1887), of Jackman & Sons, Woking, Surrey.

<i>Clematis socialis</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis socialis is a rare species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Alabama leather flower. It is native to the US states of Alabama and Georgia, where it is known from only five populations. The species is seriously threatened by habitat destruction. It is a federally listed endangered species.

<i>Clematis orientalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis orientalis is a deciduous vine or scrambling shrub in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, that originates from Asia and Central Europe. It was brought to the United States as an ornamental plant but escaped cultivation leading to its classification as a noxious weed in some states. Common names for C. orientalis include Chinese clematis, Oriental virginsbower, orange peel, and orange peel clematis.

<i>Clematis glycinoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis glycinoides, commonly known as headache vine, is a shrub or climber of the family Ranunculaceae, found in eastern Australia and New Caledonia.

<i>Clematis viorna</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Clematis viorna, commonly known as vasevine or leatherflower, is a flowering vine native to the southeastern United States. It grows in wooded habitats and bears purple flowers in spring and summer.

<i>Clematis heracleifolia</i> Species of vine

Clematis heracleifolia, the tube clematis, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to central and northern China. Unlike most other members of the genus Clematis, it has a scrambling rather than a climbing habit.

<i>Clematis bigelovii</i> Species of plant in family Ranunculaceae

Clematis bigelovii, common name Bigelow's clematis, is a perennial climbing plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It grows to approximately 2 feet in height with purple, solitary, bell-shaped flowers. It is native in Arizona and New Mexico and can be found in woodlands and rocky areas.

References

  1. NRCS. "Clematis virginiana". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  2. "Sweet Autumn Clematis". www.monrovia.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  3. "Sweet Autumn Virginsbower (Clematis terniflora)". www.invasive.org. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  4. "Species Alcathoe caudata - Clematis Clearwing Moth - Hodges#2623 - Hodges#2623".

Further reading