Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis hirsutissima

Clematis subg. Viorna

Douglas' clematis, hairy clematis, leatherflower, sugar bowls, vaseflower

leather-flower, vasevine
Stems

erect, not viny, 1.5-6.5 dm, hirsute (sometimes sparsely so in var. hirsutissima) or densely short, soft-pubescent to nearly glabrous.

Leaves

blade 2-3-pinnate;

leaflets often deeply 2-several-lobed, if lobed than lateral lobes usually small and distinctly narrower than central portion, leaflets or lobes linear to lanceolate, 1-6 × 0.05-1.5 cm, thin, not prominently reticulate;

surfaces sparsely to densely silky-hirsute, not glaucous.

blade 1- or 2-pinnate, ternate, or finely dissected; ultimate divisions lobed or unlobed, margins entire or few-toothed.
Inflorescences

terminal, flowers solitary.

terminal and/or axillary, on current year's stems; 3-7-flowered bracteate cymes or flowers solitary or paired, peduncles bracteate [or several-many-flowered panicles].
Flowers

broadly cylindric to urn-shaped;

sepals very dark violet-blue or rarely pink or white, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-4.5 cm, margins narrowly expanded distally, 0.5-2 mm wide, thin, distally ± crisped, tomentose, tips obtuse to acute, slightly spreading, abaxially usually densely hirsute, occasionally moderately so.

bisexual, usually nodding (± erect in some spp., esp.
Achenes

bodies densely long-pubescent;

beak 4-9 cm, plumose.

flattened;

beak variable in length, plumose to nearly glabrous.
Woody

vines or erect, ± herbaceous perennials, clumped (or patch-forming from rhizomes in C. socialis).
c

. morefieldii);

sepals ascending, connivent at least proximally and usually much of length, variously colored, lanceolate or oblong to broadly ovate, thick, usually leathery, abaxially glabrous to silky, hirsute, or tomentose;

filaments slender, usually pubescent (except C. pitcheri var. dictyota), connectives often ± prolonged (especially in C. pitcheri);

staminodes absent.

Clematis hirsutissima

Clematis subg. Viorna
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NE; NM; OK; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Temperate; mostly North America; a few in Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The varieties of Clematis hirsutissima, although highly dissimilar in their extreme forms, intergrade extensively in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species ca. 25 (18 in the flora).

Clematis integrifolia Linnaeus, with relatively wide-spreading, blue sepals, is locally naturalized in Ontario.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaflets and lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, 0.5–6(–10) mm wide.
var. hirsutissima
1. Leaflets and lobes narrowly to broadly lanceolate or ovate, 5–15 mm wide.
var. scottii
1. Leaves all simple, blade rarely so deeply lobed that proximal 2 lobes appear as distinct linear leaflets; plants herbaceous or ± woody at base, erect, not viny.
→ 2
1. At least some distal leaves of main stems distinctly compound or deeply much-dissected; plants erect or viny.
→ 8
2. Sepals glabrous or sparsely villous, tips acuminate; achene body cobwebby-tomentose distally, or long-pubescent.
→ 3
2. Sepals (except margins) minutely puberulent, silky, woolly, or nearly glabrous, tips obtuse to acute; achene body pilose or short-pilose.
→ 4
3. Leaf blade 3.5-11 cm wide, prominently reticulate adaxially; beak not plumose, proximally silky-tomentose, sparsely appressed-pubescent to nearly glabrous distally; Kans., Nebr., Mo.
C. fremontii
3. Leaf blade 0.2-2(-3.5) cm wide, not prominently reticulate adaxially; beak distinctly plumose; Fla.
C. baldwinii
4. Leaf blade abaxially moderately to densely soft-pubescent, rarely nearly glabrous; secondary and tertiary veins forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
→ 5
4. Leaf blade abaxially glabrous or nearly so, sparsely or rarely densely villous on veins; secondary and tertiary veins not forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
→ 6
5. Stems and abaxial surface of leaf blades moderately silky-pilose with spreading hairs, rarely nearly glabrous; beak yellowish brown to reddish brown; hairs of achene rim appressed-ascending.
C. ochroleuca
5. Stems and abaxial surface of leaf blades densely silky-tomentose with appressed hairs; beak white to pale yellow; hairs of achene rim spreading.
C. coactilis
6. Sepals abaxially silky to woolly; beak white to pale yellow.
C. albicoma
6. Sepals abaxially glabrous to minutely puberulent; beak coppery brown.
→ 7
7. Leaf blade abaxially glaucous and glabrous; sepals abaxially glabrous.
C. addisonii
7. Leaf blade abaxially not glaucous, sparsely to densely villous on veins; sepals abaxially nearly glabrous or minutely puberulent.
C. viticaulis
8. Plants erect or sprawling, not viny; stems to 0.65m.
→ 9
8. Plants viny, petioles and/or rachises of leaves often functioning as tendrils; stems usually 1-5m.
→ 13
9. Larger leaf blades (1-)2-3-pinnate or -ternate or deeply dissected.
→ 10
9. Leaf blade 1-pinnate or simple.
→ 11
10. Leaflets usually less than 1.5 cm wide, mostly more than 2.5 times as long as wide, mostly unlobed, if lobed then with lateral lobes 1 or 2, usually small, distinctly narrower than central portion; blade abaxially sparsely to densely hirsute; beak plumose.
C. hirsutissima
10. Leaflets usually more than 1.5 cm wide and/or less than 2.5 times as long as wide, mostly lobed, lateral lobes often nearly as wide as central portion; blade glabrous or nearly so (rachis and petiolules may be ±hirsute); beak glabrous or inconspicuously appressed-pubescent.
C. bigelovii
11. Terminal leaflets usually tendril-like; blades of simple leaves and lateral leaflets of compound leaves usually more than 2 cm wide; sepals purple or reddish purple, whitish toward tips.
C. addisonii
11. Terminal leaflets with expanded blade, not tendril-like; blades of simple leaves and lateral leaflets usually less than 2 cm wide; sepals uniformly violet-blue.
→ 12
12. Plants strongly rhizomatous, forming patches; sepals 2-2.5(-3) cm; beak 1.5-2.5 cm.
C. socialis
12. Plants not rhizomatous; sepals 2.5-5.5 cm; beak 6-10 cm.
C. baldwinii
13. Largest leaf blades 1-2-pinnate, leaflets mostly deeply lobed; beak 1-3 cm, inconspicuously appressed-pubescent to nearly glabrous.
C. pitcheri
13. Largest leaves simple, blades 1-pinnate, or if some 2-pinnate, leaflets of 2-pinnate leaves usually unlobed, rarely 2-5-lobed; beak 2-7 cm, plumose (appressed-puberulent in C.crispa and C.pitcheri).
→ 14
14. Leaflets abaxially glaucous and glabrous, rarely with a few scattered hairs.
→ 15
14. Leaflets not glaucous, usually abaxially pubescent, sometimes glabrous.
→ 18
15. Leaves mostly simple, only distalmost compound.
C. addisonii
15. Leaves all or mostly compound, simple leaves, if any, only on small branches and near base of main stem.
→ 16
16. Leaf blade ±thin, secondary and tertiary veins not forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
C. glaucophylla
16. Leaf blade leathery, secondary and tertiary veins forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
→ 17
17. Sepals rose-red to scarlet abaxially and at tip adaxially; tips recurved.
C. texensis
17. Sepals pale lavender or blue-violet to reddish purple abaxially, often paler or greenish adaxially, tips slightly spreading.
C. versicolor
18. Sepals with thin, crispate margins to 6 mm wide distally.
C. crispa
18. Sepals without expanded, thin, crispate margins or with margins less than 2.5 mm wide.
→ 19
19. Leaf blade leathery, secondary and tertiary veins forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
→ 20
19. Leaf blade thin, secondary and tertiary veins not forming prominent reticulum on adaxial surface.
→ 21
20. Beak plumose, with spreading hairs; leaf blade finely reticulate (ultimate closed areoles mostly less than 2 mm in longer dimension), even quaternary veins distinctly raised on adaxial surface.
C. reticulata
20. Beak sparsely pubescent to silky, with ascending to appressed hairs; leaf blade less finely reticulate (ultimate closed areoles mostly more than 2 mm in longer dimension), tertiary and quaternary veins scarcely or not raised on adaxial surface.
C. pitcheri
21. Stems generally cobwebby as well as villous; bracts near base of peduncle/pedicel; sepals densely silky-pubescent abaxially, pinkish suffused with green, tips spreading to short-reflexed.
C. morefieldii
21. Stems without cobwebby pubescence; bracts well above base of peduncle/pedicel; sepals sparsely pubescent abaxially, pale lavender to reddish purple, tips recurved.
C. viorna
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Clematis > subg. Viorna Ranunculaceae > Clematis
Sibling taxa
C. addisonii, C. albicoma, C. baldwinii, C. bigelovii, C. catesbyana, C. coactilis, C. columbiana, C. crispa, C. drummondii, C. fremontii, C. glaucophylla, C. lasiantha, C. ligusticifolia, C. morefieldii, C. occidentalis, C. ochroleuca, C. orientalis, C. pauciflora, C. pitcheri, C. recta, C. reticulata, C. socialis, C. tangutica, C. terniflora, C. texensis, C. versicolor, C. viorna, C. virginiana, C. vitalba, C. viticaulis, C. viticella
Subordinate taxa
C. hirsutissima var. hirsutissima, C. hirsutissima var. scottii
C. addisonii, C. albicoma, C. baldwinii, C. bigelovii, C. coactilis, C. crispa, C. fremontii, C. glaucophylla, C. hirsutissima, C. morefieldii, C. ochroleuca, C. pitcheri, C. reticulata, C. socialis, C. texensis, C. versicolor, C. viorna, C. viticaulis
Synonyms Coriflora hirsutissima subg. Viorna
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 385. (1814) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(1): 5. (1895)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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