38 The Vines of North Carolina 



it is contracted and curved like a Dutch pipe, from which, in 

 some parts of the United States, it has gotten the name of 

 Dutchman's Pipe. The root is very aromatic and stimulant, like 

 Ginger, and would serve as a medicine where these properties are 

 indicated. 



The two remaining genera have naked seeds, which are re- 

 markable for their long feathered tails. 



Virgin's Bower. (Clematis Virginiana, Linn.) — A partly 

 woody vine, 10 to 15 feet long, climbing over thickets and fences. 

 It is found from the coast to the mountains, generally near 

 streams, but is less common in the Lower District. The leaves 

 are composed of 3 ovate leaflets which are a little cut. The 

 flowers are in loose clusters, 1/2 to % inch broad, and clothing 

 the upper part of the vine with a flowing mantle of white. The 

 flowers are succeeded by heads of feathered seeds which are still 

 more ornamental than the blossoms. 



(Atragene Americana, Sims.) — This is accredited by others to 

 the mountains of North Carolina, but it has escaped my own 

 observation. It is a very showy vine, both in fruit and flower, 

 and, like the preceding, is woody only in its lower parts. It 

 climbs over rocks and bushes by means of its leaf-stalks. The 

 leaves are in pairs on opposite sides of the stem, making 4 in a 

 circle, each long leaf-stalk bearing 3 leaflets. The flowers are 

 bluish-purple, 2 to 3 inches broad, followed by heads of seeds 

 which have long feathered tails. 



