CLEMATIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CLEMATIS. 501 



stems I to 2 ft. high, rarely branched, and 

 carrying numerous leathery leaves, 3 or 4 

 in. long, without stalks ; the purple flowers 

 drooping with recurved tips. The tails 

 of the fruits are downy when young rather 

 than feathery (N. America). 



C. fusca. A sub-shrubby or nearly 

 herbaceous species, with prostrate rather 

 than climbing stems. When given sup- 

 port, however, it grows 6 to 8 ft. high. 

 The bell-shaped flowers are covered with 

 a short, very thick, brown wool, the sepals 

 being a reddish brown colour. The fruit 

 forms a thick globular head, i in. across, 

 of plumose tails (N. Asia). 



C. Henderson! (Henderson's Virgin's 

 Bower). This is considered to be a 

 hybrid between C. Viticella&a& C. integri- 

 folia, and was raised in 1835 by Mr. 

 Henderson, at Pine-apple Place, St. John's 

 Wood. The plant grows to a height. of 8 

 or 10 ft. The flowers, which have a faint 

 sweet perfume, are over 2 in. across and 

 of a deep bluish purple, appearing from 

 June to September. 



C. Heraclesefolia (David's Virgin's 

 Bower}. A dwarf, sturdy plant under 2 ft. 

 high, with large leaves and short-stalked 

 corymbs of flowers of a Hyacinth-like shape 

 and of a purplish blue colour. Much supe- 

 rior to it as a garden plant is the variety 

 Davidiana, which often ranks as a species. 

 Its stems are about 4 ft. long, but are 

 rarely strong enough to stand erect 

 without support. The largest leaflets 

 often measure 6 in. in length by nearly as 

 much in width. The bright lavender blue 

 flowers are in dense heads, borne on long 

 stalks in early autumn, but they also 

 frequently appear in short, closely packed 

 clusters right in the axils of the leaves. 

 Each flower is three-quarters of an inch 

 long, the points of the sepals reflexed and 

 resembling a Hyacinth blossom (N. 

 China). 



C. integrifolia. Herbaceous, 2 to 3 ft. 

 high, its erect stems furnished with leaves 

 2 to 4 in. long and stalkless, or nearly so. 

 The blue, drooping flowers are on the top 

 of the stem and from the axils of the upper- 

 most leaves from June to August. (Europe.) 



C. lanuginosa (Great flowered Virgin's 

 Bower}. A noble Chinese species 5 or 6 

 ft. high, the leaves covered beneath with 

 greyish wool, the flowers the largest of 

 any of the wild kinds, 6 in. across, and the 

 sepals flat and overlapping and of a pale 

 lavender colour. It is to this species 

 more than to any other that the beauty 

 of the garden hybrids of Clematis is 

 due. Its flowers range in colour from 

 pure white to deep rich purple, and 

 appear from July to October. 



C. ligusticifolia. The flowers of this 

 (male and female ones of which are borne 

 on separate plants) appear in panicles 

 white, three-quarters of an inch across. 

 The variety californica is distinguished 

 by its smaller, downy leaves. It is 

 one of many examples that occur in the 

 North American flora, where a widely- 

 spread species is found to be smooth on 

 the eastern side of the continent, but 



Clematis lanuginosa alba growing through Azara. 



downy or even woolly on the drier 

 and hotter western side. This plant will 

 climb to a height of 30 ft. 



C. montana (White Virgin's Bower}. 

 One of the most beautiful kinds, and 

 when covered with its white flowers during 

 May is one of the loveliest of all hardy 

 climbers. It is quite hardy and vigorous 

 and may frequently be seen covering 

 walls to a great height ; also will run up 

 trees and prove very effective in that way, 

 thriving in ordinary soil and increased by 

 seed or layers. 



C. orientalis ( Yellow Indian Virgin's 

 Bower). A vigorous climber growing 12 

 to 30 ft. high, flowering abundantly in 



