61 



CLEMATIS lathyrifolia. 



Large-Jiowered erect Clematis. 



POLYANDEIA FOLYGYNIA. 



Nat. ord. Ranunculace^. 



CLEMA TIS. Botanical Register, vol. 2.fol. 9: 



C. lathyrifolia; herbacea, erecta, foliis pinnatis: foliolls ovato-lanceolatis in- 

 tegerrimis 2-3-lobisve, corymbis paniculatis, sepalis 4-5 obovatis tomentosis 

 carpellis cum cauda villosis. 



C. lathyrifolia. Besser. sec. Reichenhach fl. excurs. germ. 2. 734. 



The two common hardy herbaceous plants, Clematis erecta 

 and angustifolia, although placed at a great distance from 

 each other in M. DeCandolle's distribution of the genus, are 

 nevertheless so nearly related that there can be no doubt of 

 their immediate affinity. In fact they cannot be distin- 

 guished by the characters given them in the Prodromus, 

 which are almost equally applicable to either. C. angusti- 

 folia is said to have one flower only on a common stalk, 

 which is never the case in the garden specimens, neither do 

 I find it so in my wild specimens of the supposed variety 

 C. lasiantha from Dahuria. The real distinction between 

 them consists, as Reichenhach has well observed, in the 

 narrow leaves and hairy carpels of one, as compared with the 

 broad ovate leaves and smooth carpels of the other. 



But to which are we to refer the present plant ? Reichen- 

 bach considers it a mere variety of C. erecta, which is im- 

 possible, for it has the leaves and fruit of C. angustifolia ; but 

 it will not arrange exactly with the latter plant, for its flowers 

 are in a loose corymbose panicle, and are much larger, and 

 its whole aspect is different ; in the size of its flowers it cor- 

 responds with the above-mentioned C. lasiantha, which seems 

 a good species, and not a mere variety of C. angustifolia. 

 This may indeed be regarded as a variety of C. lasiantha ; 



