Flora of North America species comparison

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Clematis texensis

Clematis viticella

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

Italian leather flower
Stems

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

Leaf

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.

Inflorescences

axillary, 1-7-flowered.

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.

sepals 4, blue to violet or rose-violet, 1.5-4 cm, length ca. 1.2-2 times width, abaxially pubescent;

stamens green;

beak glabrous.
Achenes

bodies appressed-pubescent;

beak 4-7 cm, plumose.

Vines

2-4(-6) m. Leaf blade: leaflets 3-7, proximal leaflets sometimes 3-foliolate, lanceolate to broadly ovate or elliptic, unlobed or 1-3-lobed, 1.5-7 cm, somewhat leathery, margins entire.
2n

= 16.

Clematis texensis

Clematis viticella
Phenology Flowering spring–summer (Mar–Jun). Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Woodlands, calcareous cliffs, and stream banks Roadsides, thickets and other secondary habitats
Elevation 80-700 m (300-2300 ft) 200 m (700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ON; native to Europe [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

Clematis viticella has also been reported from Quebec, New York, and Tennessee, but the reports have not been verified. It probably should be expected elsewhere.

(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. Viticella
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. viticaulis
Synonyms Viorna coccinea Viticella viticella
Name authority Buckley: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 13: 448. (1862) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 543. (1753)
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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