(Clematis virginiana)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Description |
||
Virgin’s bower is a climbing and scrambling, perennial, woody vine that rises from an elongated rhizome. The stems are purplish and sparsely to moderately hairy, the lower part becoming brown and woody with age. They are keeled with one or more longitudinal ridges. They extend from 6½′ to 23′ and can climb 6′ to 9′. The leaves are opposite, compound, on stalks up to 2″ long, and mostly divided into 3 leaflets. The leaflets are attached to a central axis by a stalk up to ⅜″ long. The terminal leaflet is on a longer stalk than the two lateral leaflets. The central stalk of the leaflet is adapted for grasping by wrapping around objects. It is by this means that the vine is able to climb. The leaflets are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, shalowly lobed, 1⅓″ to 3½″ long, and ⅔″ to 3″ wide. They taper to a sharp point at the tip with concave sides along the tip. The margins are usually coarsely toothed but can be untoothed. The upper surface is hairless. The under side is sparsely or densely covered with long, soft, straight hairs. The inflorescence is dense, branched, stalked clusters, up to a few inches across, rising from the leaf axils on hairy stalks. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants, though some plants have flowers with both male and female parts (perfect). The flowers are about ⅜″ wide, with 4 white to greenish, widely-spreading, petal-like sepals. There are no petals. The fruit is an egg-shaped achene containing a single seed. The styles remain attached, becoming up to 2″ long, green, silky, hairless, and curled, eventually turning brown. |
||
Height |
||
Climbs up to 9′ |
||
Flower Color |
||
White to greenish |
||
Similar Species |
||
Sweet autumn virgin’s bower (Clematis terniflora) leaves are divided into usually 5 leaflets. The leaf stalk is twining. The leaflets are on a twining leaflet stalk up to 1⅛″ long, unlobed, untoothed, and taper to a blunt, rounded tip. The flowers are much larger, 1½″ to 2″ wide. The elongated styles attached to the achenes are covered with long white hairs, giving them a feathery appearance. Western blue virgin’s bower (Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis) leaflets are unlobed or occasionally 1 to 3 lobed. The inflorescence is usually one, sometimes two flowers rising mostly from the leaf axils. The flowers are bell-shaped and reddish violet. The elongated styles attached to the achenes are hairless. |
||
Habitat |
||
Moderate moisture. Woodland edges, thickets. Partial sun to full sun. |
||
Ecology |
||
Flowering |
||
July to August |
||
Pests and Diseases |
||
|
||
Use |
||
|
||
Distribution |
||||
Sources |
||||
2/5/2023 | ||||
Nativity |
||||
Native |
||||
Occurrence |
||||
Common |
||||
Taxonomy |
|||
Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants) | ||
Class | Magnoliopsida (flowering plants) | ||
Superorder | Ranunculanae | ||
Order |
Ranunculales (buttercups, poppies, and allies) | ||
Family |
Ranunculaceae (buttercups) | ||
Subfamily | Ranunculoideae (anemones, buttercups, larkspurs and allies) | ||
Tribe | Anemoneae (anemones and allies) | ||
Genus |
Clematis (clematis and leatherflowers) | ||
Subgenus | Clematis | ||
Section | Clematis | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
|||
Synonyms |
|||
Clematis canadensis Clematis holosericea Clematis ligusticifolia Clematis missouriensis Clematis virginiana var. missouriensis |
|||
Common Names |
|||
devil’s darning needles devil’s-darning-needle devil’s-darning-needles leather-flower Virginia bower virgin’s bower woodbine |
|||
Glossary
Achene
A dry, one-chambered, single-seeded seed capsule, formed from a single carpel, with the seed attached to the membranous outer layer (wall) only by the seed stalk; the wall, formed entirely from the wall of the superior ovary, does not split open at maturity, but relies on decay or predation to release the contents.
Axil
The upper angle where the leaf stalk meets the stem.
Compound leaf
A leaf that is divided into leaflets, each leaflet having the general appearance of a leaf, with all leaflets attached to a single leaf stem.
Twining
Growing in a spiral usually around a stem of another plant that serves as support.
Visitor Photos |
|||||
Share your photo of this plant. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
|||||
Alfredo Colon |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Robert Briggs |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
|||||
Vine |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Inflorescence |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Flowers |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Leaves |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Infructescence |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Slideshows |
||
Visitor Videos |
|||
Share your video of this plant. |
|||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
|||
Other Videos |
|||
Virgins Bower and Tall Meadow Rue ironDsteele |
|||
About
Published on Sep 8, 2014 Part 9 in an ongoing series of documentaries on wild edible, medicinal, and toxic plants. I'm covering "Virgins Bower" (Clematis Virginiana) and "Tall Meadow Rue" (Thalictrum Polygamum). All video footage is recorded by me on the GoPRO Hero 3+ Silver Edition. Some of the pictures taken from reputable sources on the internet. Click 6:39 to skip to Tall Meadow Rue. |
|||
Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana) colong7034 |
|||
About
Published on Sep 4, 2014 Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana). A beautiful, fragrant, but aggressive vine that covers many plants and shrubs along the Blue Ridge Parkway and elsewhere. Blooms in July/August; the fluffy seed heads persist until late fall. Transylvania County, NC. |
|||
Old Man's Beard - Clematis virginiana blooms at Ion Exchange Ionxchange |
|||
About
Uploaded on Aug 1, 2011 Earthyman views Old Man's Beard also known as Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana) in bloom at Ion Exchange in Northeast Iowa http://www.ionxchange.com |
|||
Visitor Sightings |
|||||
Report a sighting of this plant. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
|||||
Alfredo Colon 8/19/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
![]() |
|||
Robert Briggs 9/25/2016 |
Location: Spring Lake Park Reserve |
![]() |
|||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
|||||
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |