Clematis tibetana subsp. vernayi
Common name
Oriental clematis
Family
Ranunculaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Detailed description
A deciduous woody climber or scrambler with weakly ribbed cylindrical stems. Opposite leaves; hairless to sparsely hairy, and can be coated with a readily removed fine whitish bloom. Leaves are usually 8-15cm long and 7-12cm wide. Leaflets are thin, lanceoloate in shape with sharply toothed margins. The leaf stalks are 4-8 cm long, hairless or with fine silky hairs present. The green-yellow flowers hang down, and occur solitary in leaf axils. The 4 conspicuous sepals are hairless on the outside but have silky hairs on the inside and dense hairs near margins; 13-19 x 5-8 mm, lanceolate in shape. Anthers are 3-4 mm long. Seed heads develop January-April, persisting through the winter as yellowish green fluffy balls. The achenes are compressed and hairy (c. 4mm long), with a 3-4.5cm long feathery style.
Similar taxa
Do NOT confuse with Clematis tangutica, which has green serrate leaflets and barely spreading sepals, which are hairy on the outside and hairless within. C. tangutica is only known wild from near Lauder (Found cultivated in Wellington in 2004).
Flowering
January, February, March
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Life cycle
Perennial
Year naturalised
1958
Origin
NW India (N. Kashmir), W. China (Xizang and W. Gansu).
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Etymology
clematis: From the Greek klema ‘vine’, alluding to the vine-like habit of many species