RANUNCULACE^— CROWFOOT 



FAMILY 



CLEMATIS. VIRGIN'S BOWER 



Clematis Virginidna 



V 



Clematis, Greek name for some climbing plant. 



A perennial vine trailing over fences and walls, climb- 

 ing to twigs and branches, found along river banks, in 

 lanes, lowlands, and roadside thickets. Nova Scotia 

 to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Kansas. July- 

 September. 



Stem. — Slender, leafy, tough, woody-fibred, sometimes 

 purple-stained, from ten to twelve feet long, trailing and 

 climbing by means of its leaf stems which support the 

 vine by hooking or coiling spirally around whatever 

 happens to be available. 



Leaves. — Opposite, petioled, compounded of three 

 leaflets, rarely five, leaflets short-stemmed, oval, coarsely 

 serrate or lobed, acute or acuminate at apex, rounded at 

 base, veins prominent. ,..; :•=!'• , 



Flowers. — White, borne in full panicled clusters from 

 the axils of the leaves; dioecious or polygamo-dicecious, 

 that is, the staminate and the pistillate blossoms grow 

 on separate plants, or now and then those with both stamens 

 and pistils are found among the others. About an inch 

 across and delicately fragrant. 



Calyx. — Four or five white, oblong, petal-like sepals, 

 forming starry flowers. 



Corolla. — Wanting. 



Stamens. — Many in the staminate flowers; wanting 

 or imperfect in the pistillate flowers. 



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