Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis occidentalis

Clematis occidentalis var. dissecta

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
Photo is of parent taxon

Columbia clematis, western blue virginsbower
Stems

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

short and tufted or, if viny, up to 0.5(-1.5)m and trailing.
Leaves

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.

leaflets lobed or unlobed, 1.5-6.5(-9) cm, margins crenate-serrate;

terminal leaflet, at least, usually deeply lobed, or sometimes ternate.
Flowers

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

sepals moderately divergent, reddish violet or less often violet-blue, lance-ovate, 2.5-4.5(-6) cm, margins not fluted, tips acute to acuminate.

Clematis occidentalis

Clematis occidentalis var. dissecta
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Cliffs and other rocky sites in open woods and thickets
Elevation 700-1900 m (2300-6200 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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Clematis occidentalis var. dissecta occurs only in the Wenatchee and adjacent ranges of the Cascade Mountains.

(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. Atragene > Clematis occidentalis
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. occidentalis var. grosseserrata, C. occidentalis var. occidentalis
Subordinate taxa
C. occidentalis var. dissecta, C. occidentalis var. grosseserrata, C. occidentalis var. occidentalis
Synonyms Atragene occidentalis C. columbiana var. dissecta
Name authority (Hornemann) de Candolle: Prodr. 1: 10. (1824) (C. L. Hitchcock) J. S. Pringle: Brittonia 23: 371. (1971)
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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