Northern Leatherflower Clematis viorna
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KLEM-ah-tiss vee-OR-nah
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Northern leatherflower is a deciduous, twining,woody, perennial vine in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is native to the north, central and eastern United States. The meaning of the specific epithet is obscur.
Northern leatherflower prefers a neutral pH and moist soil with good drainage in dappled sunlight to partial shade. In the winter it dies down to a woody base and needs to be pruned in the spring (Type 3). Propagate by division, layering, seed, or stem cutting.
Showy, lavender-purple, bell- or 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 northern leatherflower a 3-to-6-foot space to climb a trellis or spread over the ground. Place it in a naturalized area, a slope or bank, or a woodland, native, or pollinator garden. It is also suitable as a specimen or a privacy screen.
Serves as a host plant for the Plebian schinx (Paratrea plebeja) moth.
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.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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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
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Vine
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Fine
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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
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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.
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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-inch, violet to dull purple, bell-shaped flowers with thick, fleshy, petal-like sepals. Its flowers have 4 to 8 petal-like parts of various colors and many stamens. It blooms from May to fall.
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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 to 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. Leaflets are lanceolate, 3" long and 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.
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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.
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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
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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
