He everyone, I was walking around a wooded area exploring Native plants to my region when I came across these little guys in full bloom! I was amazed and knew I had to find out what they were. I researched them and found out they are known as a Leather flower clematis. Does anyone know anything about these? I think I will go back soon and check for seeds or small seedlings. There were TONS of them and I have never seen them before!
Here is a link to the plant
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/705/
Look what I came across!
They grow in the woods behind my house, and I actually do have one in my yard that I bought at a native plant sale. They don't get very big at all. I have mine growing up through a viburnum, and you can see the drooping flowers peeking when they are in bloom.
I have had the bluish one for many years and mine get about 15' each year...clematis pitcherii...lovely climber that does not take over and does put out small seedlings in the years with rain...
I have one that I started from seed and I think they are adorable, I have never seen them growing wild around here, so that was a lucky find,
What is the scientific name and where might one get a hold of this vine?
C
Cheryl, talk to Dennis! Maybe he'll go dig one up for you.
The scientific name is on the Plant Files link.
If it is the blue blooming native, it is clematis pitcherii...if it is the red one, commonly called scarlet clematis...both are in the texensis family of clematis and are/were native to several counties in Texas...the scarlet is very difficult to find.
I have several pitcherii plants...
Are they the same plant with different colors or 2 truely seperate species. Anyway I just try and find things that are native and certainly if they are endemic to this region. I tried to find seeds and can't find a source.
cheryl
They are different naturally developed species of texensis, but they look and behave very similarly...difference is that the scarlet does not quite get as large...or at least mine did not....I have been seeking to replace my lost one for 14 years and can not find a source....please let me know if you find it.
O.K. here is Clematis crispa
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLCR
Clematis pitcheri
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLPI
Clematis texensis
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLTE2
As you can see they are all different, mine haven't bloomed yet this year, but if they do I will try to save some seed. My vines are very small, and some of them were broken by the squirrels.
Josephine, do you have yours in sun...shade...what?...my pitcherii is in morning sun and then shade all day and FILLS an 8' trellis...when I had the scarlet leatherflower, it was much smaller, but more blooms in the same culture...
Mine get sun for about two hours and then semishade, two of them are only a year old and the Clematis crispa was a year older and a little bigger, but that is the one the squirrels broke. They have been terrible around here.
Thanks fellas for the responses. After looking at the different types, it is definitely the Clematis Pitcheri. I really like this little vine and I had no idea something like that grew native here. The funny thing is that I found them by complete accident. I actually found a Jerusalem Thorn Tree in full bloom and didnt know those were native down here either, have never seen one in the woods around here. Surely enough, the Clematis was growing around the tree. So it was actually pretty neat to find two things I have never seen growing wild together!
Here is the tree,
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53709/
I would love to find a source for the texensis. As said before anyone finding a source should post here.
C
check out Donahue's Clematis in MN...I have had great service and good plants from them...they have several of the texensis hybrids....
I looked at the hybrids on that site and they are lovely but not really like the species parent. I also wonder if they have the same tolerence to heat and drought.
C
If anyone is interested in a trade for the Clematis Pitcheri, I know where to get ya a healthy plant. ;)
I bought mine at the spring native plant sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin (and I think they also had the scarlet version). I also believe that I have seen it for sale at Rohde's Nursery in Garland.
It seems to be available at a few places online, like plant delights nursery (plants, not seeds). There are three places listed on Plant Scout.
This message was edited Jun 1, 2010 8:14 PM
You have to call Donahue's about species clematis...but they did have several species early in the season when I spoke with them...no scarlet, however....the early texensis hybrids (Gravetye Beauty and Duchess of Albany) work well for me in central Texas and have been very hardy...I learned to trim them before the heat hits...like today!..
I looked at the resources and none seems to have the red texensis and that is the one I want lol.
C
Yep...don't we all?!?
My biggest C. pitcheri is very stubborn...I like to keep most of the flowers down where I can see them better, but it likes to climb up high in the tree. So...the second one is growing on a fence...I'll see if I can control it better. All I know is that the base of the plant needs a fair bit of shade, while the upper vine likes some sun.
Exactly! But I don't have room for more than one so I will wait til I can find a source for that one.
C