THE CLEMATIS. 



209 



THE CLEMATIS: 

 ITS DEVELOPMENT AND CULTIVATION. 



By A. G. Jackman, F.R.H.S. 



[Read August 4, 1915 ; Mr. Joseph Cheal, V.M.H., in the Chair.] 



The Clematis, or Virgin's Bower, belongs to the family Ranunculaceae, 

 and derives its name from the Greek word " klema," a vine branch. 



The species are very numerous, the number, according to the 

 "Index Kewensis," being about 250. They are found principally in 

 the temperate zones of both hemispheres, especially in Europe, India, 

 China, Japan, North America, Africa, and New Zealand, and are there- 

 fore, with few exceptions, hardy in this country. The only one native 

 in these islands is Clematis Vitalba, which is to be seen growing freely 

 in calcareous soils, rambling over hedges, bushes, and hanging cliffs, 

 covered each autumn with profuse tufts of grey, plumose fruit, from 

 which it has gained the name of ' Old Man's Beard.' 



The first species introduced into England was C. Viticella in the 

 year 1569, and Loudon observes that the name ' Virgin's Bower ' 

 might have been intended as a compliment to Queen Elizabeth, who 

 liked to be called " The Virgin Queen." 



This was followed by nine other species during the eighteenth 

 century. Since then the number has gradually increased, and includes 

 C. patens, sent over by Von Siebold from Japan about 1836, followed 

 by C. lanuginosa, introduced by Fortune in 1851, and C. Fortunei 

 and C. Standishii in 1863, from which most of the magnificent large- 

 flowering varieties have been obtained. 



Several species are, however, familiar in our gardens, including 

 C. montana, C. montana rubens, C. Flammula, C. paniculata, C. 

 graveolens, C. coccinea, C. recta, C. integrifolia, and C. indivisa. 



There are several other species which, in my opinion, are also 

 worthy of attention, but it would take up too much time to go 

 thoroughly into the list. A few which occur to me more particularly 

 are : — 



C. alpina and C. sibirica, the blue and white species from the Alps 

 and the mountains of Siberia respectively ; C. campaniflora and C. 

 crispa , with fragrant bell-shaped flowers ; the winter-flowering evergreen 

 C. calycina and C. cirrhosa, with spotted pale creamy-yellow flowers ; 

 C. langutica, a rampant sweet-scented yellow species; C. Armandi, 

 an evergreen climber from China, which bears a profusion of small 

 white flowers; C. Buchaniana, an Indian species, with pale creamy- 

 yellow flowers produced in panicles, well adapted for use in a wild 

 garden ; and the two herbaceous species C. Davidiana, with hyacinth- 



