Shrubby Clematis

Description

Herbaceous perennial reaching 3' in height with sprawling erect stems that fall outward from the central woody base. Leaves are large, ternate, somewhat tomentose; flowers are light blue, hyacinthlike in shape, clustered in the axils of the upper leaves. (DS 328) Subshrubs or perennial herbs, 30-100cm tall. Stems usually branched; branches 6-10-grooved, appressed puberulous, glabrescent. Leaves ternate; petiole 2.5-14cm, puberulous; leaflet blades broadly ovate, pentagonical, suborbicular, elliptic, or ovate, 2.5-16x2.5-14cm, papery, often 3-lobed, both surfaces appressed puberulous, glabrescent, abaxially often reticulate, base truncate, rounded, or broadly cuneate, margin incised to dentate, apex short acuminate to acute; basal veins abaxially prominent. Compound cymes terminal or axillary, 7-many flowered, often paniclelike; peduncle 4-8cm, densely puberulous; bracts petiolate, pentagonal to broadly ovate, 1-3.5cm, 3-parted or -sect. Flowers polygamous, ca. 1.5cm in diameter. Pedicel 0.8-3.5cm, densely puberulous to velutinous. Sepals 4, blue to purple, erect, narrowly oblong to spatulate-oblong, 1.5-2.4x 0.3-0.7cm, slightly widened toward apex, abaxially densely appressed sericeous-puberulous to velutinous adaxially glabrous, apex obtuse and recurved. Stamens 0.9-1.1cm; filaments apically with a few short hairs; anthers linear, 3.2-5mm, abaxially pilose on connective, apex with a 0.2-0.5mm apicula. Ovaries puberulous. Style 3-4mm, densely villous. Achenes elliptic, 3-5x2-2.8mm, puberulous; persistent style ca. 2.5cm, plumose. Flowers August-September, fruits in October. (DS 696)