Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 127 



PURPLE VIRGINS BOWER (Clematis verticillaris) 



is probably the most rare species of Clematis. It grows 

 in rocky hilly or mountainous woods, most abundant- 

 ly in northern portions of its range, which is from 

 Quebec to Hudson Bay and south locally to Del. and 

 Pa. It is a climbing woody vine, supporting itself 

 by the bending or clasping of the leaf stalks. The 

 flowers grow singly, on long stems from the axils 

 of the leaves or from the end of the vine. They are 

 large and handsome, the four thin, purple, pointed, 

 translucent sepals spreading from two to four inches 

 when fully expanded. Both sides of the sepals are 

 covered with silky hairs or down along the edges. 

 The sepals are usually much concaved, forming a 

 cup-shaped flower; the petals are very small, spatu- 

 late shaped; numerous greenish-white stamens are 

 clustered in the center of the flower. The leaves are 

 divided into three leaflets, ovate, pointed, with a 

 heart-shaped base. 



MARSH CLEMATIS (C. crispa), found in the south- 

 ern states is the most beautiful species; flowers about 

 the size of the last, with bluish-purple, crimped, or 

 wavy-edged sepals, sweet scented. 



LEATHER FLOWER (C. Viorna) is a larger and 

 tougher species with a woody stem that often reaches 

 a length of 10 feet. The flower calyx is bell-shaped, 

 the four pointed sepals being very thick and leath- 

 ery. It grows in rich soil, usually climbing over 

 bushes, from Pa. to Mo. southwards, flowering in May 

 and June. 



VIRGIN'S BOWER (Clematis virginiana) is a beau- 

 tiful, graceful, climbing, twining vine found through- 

 out our range. The small greenish white flowers, with 

 four or five sepals, grow in clusters from the leaf 

 axils; staminate and pistillate ones are on separate 

 plants. In Pall, the beautiful silky plumes of the 

 seed pods gives this species the name of "Old Man's 

 Beard." 



