Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis

Native

Moderate moisture. Woods.

May to June

Reddish violet

Climbs up to 6′

This is a climbing and scrambling, perennial, woody vine. It is mostly hairless.

The stems are somewhat hairy. They extend from 1′ to 11½′ and can climb up to 6′.

The leaves are opposite, compound, on stalks 2″ to 4″ long, and divided into 3 leaflets. The leaflets are attached to a central axis by a stalk ⅜″ to ¾″ long.

The leaflets are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, unlobed or occasionally 1 to 3 lobed, and ¾″ to 4″ long but usually 1⅛″ to 2⅓″ long. They taper to a sharp point at the tip with concave sides along the tip. The margins are usually untoothed but may have shallow, blunt or rounded teeth.

The inflorescence is a single flower, sometimes 2, rising mostly from the leaf axils but also at the ends of the stems.

The flowers are 1″ to 2⅓″ long, bell-shaped, and drooping. There are 4 reddish violet, petal-like sepals. There are no petals.

The fruit is an egg-shaped, flattened achene containing a single seed. The styles remain attached, becoming over ¾″ long, green, silky, and curled. The are covered with long white hairs, giving them a feathery appearance. They eventually turn brown.

Sweet autumn virgin’s bower (Clematis terniflora) leaves are unlobed, untoothed, and taper to a blunt, rounded tip. The inflorescence is dense, branched, stalked clusters, with 3 to 12 large flowers, rising from the leaf axils. The flowers are white.

Virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) leaves are divided into usually 5 leaflets. The leaflets are coarsely toothed. The inflorescence is dense, branched, stalked clusters, with 3 to 12 large flowers, rising from the leaf axils. The flowers are white to greenish. The elongated styles attached to the achenes are hairless.