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Clematis viorna is often confused with:
Clematis glaucophylla Clematis glaucophylla
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Clematis flower, Johnston County, NC
Clematis armandii Clematis armandii
Clematis texensis Clematis texensis

Leatherflower Clematis viorna

Other Common Name(s):

Other plants called Leatherflower:

Phonetic Spelling
KLEM-ah-tiss vee-OR-nah
This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Vasevine is a deciduous, woody, perennial, twining vine in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family. It is native to the north, central and eastern United States. Its name derives from the Greek word klÄ“matis, meaning brushwood or broken branches, perhaps owing to its fragile stems. 

Vasevine prefers a neutral pH and moist soil with good drainage in dappled sunlight to partial shade. Clematis is a heavy feeder; provide it with a low-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks throughout the growing season. In the winter it dies down to a woody base and needs to be pruned in the spring. Propagate by division, layering, seed, or stem cutting.

Showy lavender-purple bell to urn-shaped flowers bloom from spring to fall. The plant feeds many forms of wildlife. Butterfly, moth, and fly larvae feed on the foliage and stems. The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Birds eat the seed heads.

Give vasevine a 3 to 6 foot space to climb a trellis or spread over the ground. Site it in a naturalized area, a slope or bank, or a woodland, native, or pollinator garden. It is suitable as a specimen or a privacy screen.  

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. 

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Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#purple#showy flowers#deciduous#poisonous#specimen#red flowers#moth caterpillar host#tendrils#slopes#riparian#fall interest#stream banks#moist soil#NC native#well-drained soil#creeping#spreading#trellises#climbing vines#neutral pH#summer flowers#dappled sunlight#deer resistant#native garden#lantern#groundcover#naturalizes#spring interest#pollinator plant#leathery leaves#vase-shaped#larval host plant#vertical spaces#showy seedheads#rocky soils tolerant#bird friendly#vine#partial shade tolerant#problem for cats#problem for dogs#bee friendly#problem for horses#contact dermatitis#privacy screen#bell-shaped flowers#moth friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#purple#showy flowers#deciduous#poisonous#specimen#red flowers#moth caterpillar host#tendrils#slopes#riparian#fall interest#stream banks#moist soil#NC native#well-drained soil#creeping#spreading#trellises#climbing vines#neutral pH#summer flowers#dappled sunlight#deer resistant#native garden#lantern#groundcover#naturalizes#spring interest#pollinator plant#leathery leaves#vase-shaped#larval host plant#vertical spaces#showy seedheads#rocky soils tolerant#bird friendly#vine#partial shade tolerant#problem for cats#problem for dogs#bee friendly#problem for horses#contact dermatitis#privacy screen#bell-shaped flowers#moth friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Clematis
    Species:
    viorna
    Family:
    Ranunculaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Layering
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    North Central & Eastern U.S.A
    Distribution:
    AL , AR , DC , DE , GA , IL , IN , KY , MD , MO , MS , NC , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV
    Wildlife Value:
    Butterfly, moth and fly larvae feed on the foliage and stems. The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Birds eat the seed heads.
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Attracts Pollinators
    Climbing Method:
    Tendrils
    Twining
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Ground Cover
    Native Plant
    Poisonous
    Vine
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Climbing
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Fine
    Appendage:
    Tendrils
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Achene
    Fruit Description:
    This plant has a large seed head with many individual seeds, each seed attached to a fuzzy plume of a tail for wind distribution.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Head
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Bell
    Urn
    Flower Petals:
    Colored Sepals
    Flower Size:
    1-3 inches
    Flower Description:
    This plant has single, 1-in. violet to dull purple, bell-shaped flowers with thick, fleshy, petal-like sepals. Its flowers have 4-8 petal-like parts of various colors and many stamens. It blooms from May to fall.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Lanceolate
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Compound stems have 4-8 leaflets plus an additional tendril-like terminal leaflet. The leaflets range from unlobed to bearing two or three lobes to further divided into two or three sub-leaflets. They have a sparse to dense coating of long or short hairs on the underside. Leaves are alternate, either simple or odd-pinnately compound. Simple leaves and leaflets are lanceolate, 3" long x 2" wide, with entire margins and sometimes with lateral lobes, the leaflets at the base of the leaf are the most deeply divided. The major veins of each leaf are parallel.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Stems are almost completely free of hairs or may have long or short soft hairs below the node.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Riparian
    Slope/Bank
    Vertical Spaces
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Native Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Screen/Privacy
    Small groups
    Specimen
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Butterflies
    Hummingbirds
    Moths
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Rabbits
    Problems:
    Contact Dermatitis
    Poisonous to Humans
    Problem for Cats
    Problem for Children
    Problem for Dogs
    Problem for Horses
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    High
    Poison Symptoms:
    Clematis can cause severe mouth pain and ulcers if eaten. Toxic to dogs, cats, horses. Clinical signs are salivation, vomiting, diarrhea. In humans, symptoms may include dizziness, confusion, fainting, and convulsions. Fatalities are rare, due to the rapid and intense bitter taste and mouth irritation from eating. Gastric lavage is recommended and anti-inflammatory to soothe irritated tissue. Contact dermatitis results in skin redness and burning sensation for some people, gardening gloves are recommended.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    protoanemonin
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    Yes
    Poison Part:
    Leaves
    Sap/Juice