Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis occidentalis

Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata

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 bower, Columbia clematis, purple virgin's bower, western blue clematis, western blue virginsbower, western clematis, western purple clematis
Stems

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

± viny, climbing or trailing, 0.25-2.5 m. Leaves: leaflets unlobed or occasionally 1-3-lobed, 2-11 cm, margins entire or less often shallowly crenate-serrate.
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.

Flowers

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

sepals often eventually wide-spreading, violet-blue to pale blue or rarely white, lance-ovate, 3-6 cm, margins often ± fluted, tips acuminate.
2n

= 16.

Clematis occidentalis

Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata
Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Often deep, fine soils in shady forest, also cliffs and other rocky sites in open woods and thickets
Elevation 400-2800 m (1300-9200 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
CO; ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; YT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

The names Clematis columbiana (Nuttall) Torrey & A. Gray and C. verticillaris var. columbiana (Nuttall) A. Gray have long and frequently been misapplied to this taxon. This erroneous usage continues in some horticultural references.

(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. dissecta, C. occidentalis var. occidentalis
Subordinate taxa
C. occidentalis var. dissecta, C. occidentalis var. grosseserrata, C. occidentalis var. occidentalis
Synonyms Atragene occidentalis Atragene grosseserrata, C. occidentalis subsp. grosseserrata
Name authority (Hornemann) de Candolle: Prodr. 1: 10. (1824) (Rydberg) J. S. Pringle: Brittonia 23: 370. (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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