Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis occidentalis

Clematis glaucophylla

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

glaucous clematis, whiteleaf leather flower
Stems

viny, climbing or trailing (plants scarcely viny perennials in var. dissecta).

viny, to 5 m, glabrous.
Leaf

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.

blade 1-pinnate;

leaflets 4-10 plus additional tendril-like terminal leaflet, proximal leaflets usually 3-lobed or 3-foliolate, distal leaflets usually unlobed, ovate, 3-10 × 2-7.5 cm, ± thin, not prominently reticulate adaxially;

surfaces abaxially glabrous and glaucous.
Inflorescences

axillary, 1-3-flowered;

bracts about 1/3 distance from base of peduncle.
Flowers

sepals violet-blue, reddish violet, or white, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic-oblong.

ovoid;

sepals deep rose-red to purplish red, ovate-lanceolate, 2-2.5 cm, margins not expanded, thick, not crispate, tomentose, tips long-acuminate, ± recurved, abaxially glabrous.
Achenes

bodies appressed-pubescent;

beak 5-6 cm, plumose.
2n

= 16.

Clematis occidentalis

Clematis glaucophylla
Phenology Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Stream banks in rich, neutral to slightly acid soils
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OR; PA; RI; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; ON; QC; SK; YT
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; OK
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Reports of Clematis glaucophylla from other southeastern states have been based on misidentified specimens (W. M. Dennis 1976). Recent reports of the species in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Virginia have not been confirmed.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
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
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Clematis > subg. Atragene Ranunculaceae > Clematis > subg. Viorna
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. hirsutissima, C. lasiantha, C. ligusticifolia, C. morefieldii, 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
C. addisonii, C. albicoma, C. baldwinii, C. bigelovii, C. catesbyana, C. coactilis, C. columbiana, C. crispa, C. drummondii, C. fremontii, C. hirsutissima, 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. occidentalis var. dissecta, C. occidentalis var. grosseserrata, C. occidentalis var. occidentalis
Synonyms Atragene occidentalis Viorna glaucophylla
Name authority (Hornemann) de Candolle: Prodr. 1: 10. (1824) Small: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 337. (1897)
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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