Clematis alpina (L.) Mill.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Clematis alpina' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/clematis/clematis-alpina/). Accessed 2024-03-19.

Synonyms

  • Atragene alpina L.

Glossary

article
(in Casuarinaceae) Portion of branchlet between each whorl of leaves.
axillary
Situated in an axil.
clone
Organism arising via vegetative or asexual reproduction.
glabrous
Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
lanceolate
Lance-shaped; broadest in middle tapering to point.
ovate
Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.
keel petal
(in the flowers of some legumes) The two front petals fused together to form a keel-like structure.
section
(sect.) Subdivision of a genus.
style
Generally an elongated structure arising from the ovary bearing the stigma at its tip.
alternate
Attached singly along the axis not in pairs or whorls.

References

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Clematis alpina' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/clematis/clematis-alpina/). Accessed 2024-03-19.

A deciduous climber 6 to 8 ft high, with glabrous, slightly ribbed stems, often much enlarged at the joints, through an agglomeration of buds there. Leaves 3 to 6 in. long, doubly ternate, being composed of nine leaflets arranged in three triplets; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, scarcely stalked, coarsely toothed, 1 to 2 in. long, one-third as wide, downy at the base. Flowers solitary, on stalks 3 to 4 in. long, nodding, produced along with the young leaves in April and May. Sepals four, blue of various shades, 1 to 112 in. long, 13 to 12 in. wide, oblong; petals small, spoon-shaped, half as long as the sepals. Seed-vessels terminated by a silky style 114 to 112 in. long, the whole forming a globular grey tuft, 2 in. or more across. Bot. Mag., t. 530.

Native of N. Europe and N. Asia, also of the mountains of Central and S. Europe; introduced in 1792. It belongs to that section of the genus once kept separate as Atragene, because of the petal-like organs (staminodes) that come between sepals and stamens. They are not conspicuous, and the sepals make the chief decorative feature of the flower. As in C. montana and macropetala, the flowers are produced direct from axillary buds on the previous year’s growth. A fine form of this species, with longer and more brightly coloured sepals, received an Award of Merit when shown at Vincent Square in May 1965 (Journ. R.H.S., Vol. 91, p. 356). The correct name for this clone is ‘Frances Rivis’. Various other named forms are in commerce.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

For an interesting article on C. alpina and its hybrids with C. macropetala see: Josef Starek, Qtly. Bull. Alp. Gard. Soc., Vol.41, pp. 283–7 (1973). The cultivars of the Atragene section are also surveyed by James S. Pringle in Baileya, Vol. 19 (2), pp. 49–89 (1973).


var. sibirica (L ) Schneid.

Synonyms
Atragene sibirica L

Sepals yellowish white. Introduced in 1753. ‘White Moth’ is a selection with pure white sepals and numerous staminodes.