Clematis occidentalis
Clematis addisonii
blue clematis, clématite occidentale, Columbia bower, Columbia clematis, Columbia virgin's bower, purple clematis, purple virgin's-bower, rock clematis, western blue clematis, western blue virginsbower, western clematis
Addison Brown's clematis, Addison Brown's leather-flower, Addison's leather-flower, Addison's virgin's-bower
viny, climbing or trailing (plants scarcely viny perennials in var. dissecta).
usually ascending to erect, occasionally somewhat viny, 0.6-1 m, glabrous.
blade 1-ternate (or terminal leaflet sometimes ternate in var. dissecta), ± firm but not succulent;
leaflets lance-ovate to triangular or suborbiculate, lobed or unlobed, margins entire or toothed.
all simple, blade often 1-pinnate on distal and middle leaves on vigorous plants 4-13 × 2-9.5 cm;
leaflets 2-6 plus additional tendril-like terminal leaflet, ovate, unlobed, 1.5-6 × 1-4.5 cm, not prominently reticulate;
surfaces abaxially glabrous and glaucous.
terminal and axillary, flowers solitary.
sepals violet-blue, reddish violet, or white, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic-oblong.
ovoid to broadly urn-shaped;
sepals purple or reddish purple, whitish toward tips, ovate-lanceolate, 1.2-2.5 cm, margins not expanded, thick, not crispate, tomentose, tips acute, spreading, abaxially glabrous.
bodies puberulent;
beak 2.5-3.5 cm, plumose.
= 16.
Clematis occidentalis
Clematis addisonii
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Clematis addisonii is known only from Botetourt, Montgomery, Roanoke, and Rockbridge counties in western Virginia. Reports of this infrequent species from other southeastern states have been based on misidentified specimens (W. M. Dennis 1976).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaflets lobed or unlobed, margins entire or crenate-serrate (or terminal leaflet sometimes ternate); stems tufted or, if viny, up to 0.5(–1.5) m. | var. dissecta |
1. Leaflets unlobed or some 1–3-lobed, margins entire or shallowly serrate; stems ± viny, climbing or trailing, 0.25–3.5 m. | → 2 |
2. Sepals reddish violet, rounded-mucronate to nearly acuminate. | var. occidentalis |
2. Sepals violet-blue to pale blue, rarely white, usually distinctly acuminate. | var. grosseserrata |
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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