Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis texensis

Clematis viticaulis

crimson clematis, scarlet clematis, scarlet leather flower, Texas clematis

grape clematis, grape leather-flower, Millboro leather-flower
Stems

viny, to 3 m, glabrous or sometimes ± hirsute near nodes.

erect, 2-5 dm, finely and densely hirtellous.
Leaves

blade 1-pinnate;

leaflets 6-10 plus additional tendril-like terminal leaflet, ovate to nearly round, unlobed, 2-3-lobed, or most proximal occasionally 3-foliolate, 1-9 × 1-6 cm, leathery, ± prominently reticulate adaxially;

surfaces abaxially usually glabrous, occasionally sparsely pubescent, glaucous.

blade elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, unlobed, (2-)4-8 × 1.5-3.5(-4.5) cm, thin, not conspicuously reticulate;

surfaces abaxially sparsely (rarely more densely) villous on veins, not glaucous.
Inflorescences

axillary, 1-7-flowered.

terminal, flowers solitary;

bracts absent.
Flowers

ovoid to urn-shaped;

sepals rose-red to scarlet abaxially and at tip adaxially, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-3 cm, margins not expanded, thick, not crispate, tomentose, tips acute to acuminate, recurved, abaxially glabrous.

urn-shaped;

sepals pale purple, often suffused with green abaxially, lanceolate, 1.4-2.5 cm, margins not expanded, thin, not crispate, puberulent, tips obtuse to acute, spreading to recurved, abaxially nearly glabrous to minutely puberulent.
Achenes

bodies appressed-pubescent;

beak 4-7 cm, plumose.

bodies short-pilose;

beak coppery brown, 2-3.5(-4) cm, plumose.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Clematis texensis

Clematis viticaulis
Phenology Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Jun). Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Woodlands, calcareous cliffs, and stream banks Shale barrens
Elevation 80-700 m (300-2300 ft) 400-500 m (1300-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Although widely cultivated because it is the only species of Clematis with truly red flowers, C.texensis is native only to the southeastern part of the Edwards Plateau, Texas.

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

Of conservation concern.

Clematis viticaulis is known only from shale barrens developed from the Upper Devonian Brallier Formation in Bath and Rockbridge counties of western Virginia.

The coppery brown hairs on the mature beaks are useful for distinguishing this species (C. S. Keener 1967).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Clematis > subg. Viorna 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. occidentalis, C. ochroleuca, C. orientalis, C. pauciflora, C. pitcheri, C. recta, C. reticulata, C. socialis, C. tangutica, C. terniflora, 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. glaucophylla, 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. viticella
Synonyms Viorna coccinea
Name authority Buckley: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 13: 448. (1862) Steele: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 13: 364. (1911)
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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