Clematis vines come in
three flower forms, long narrow petals such as on Virgin’s Bower, Clematis
virginiana, cuplike fuzed petals such as on all the leather-flower types like C. viorna, and
the most familiar shape found in hybrids where the petals form large flat flower
where numerous color selections have been created.At least the hybrids are apparently sterile
because some of the species can become weedy.A couple of species in Alabama
are on the endangered species list, Morefield’s Leather-flower, C. morefieldii,
and Kral’s leather-flower, C. socialis.The former is found scattered in only a few population on the slopes of the
mountains around Huntsville,
Alabama, including the Nature
Conservancy’s Keel Mountain Preserve, and there is a late report of a new population being found in another nearby preserve. The vines climb by twining their leaves around anything they can. Other than color the feathery seed are nearly as attractive as the flowers.
Clematis vines come in
three flower forms, long narrow petals such as on Virgin’s Bower, Clematis
virginiana, cuplike fuzed petals such as on all the leather-flower types like C. viorna, and
the most familiar shape found in hybrids where the petals form large flat flower
where numerous color selections have been created. At least the hybrids are apparently sterile
because some of the species can become weedy.
A couple of species in 