[The Buttercup Family East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Virginsbowers and Clematis East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Clematis

Sugar bowls: Clematis hirsutissima

Sugar bowls: Clematis hirsutissima

Rock Clematis, Columbia Clematis, Columbia Virgin's Bower, Purple Virgin's Bower, Western Blue Clematis, Western Blue Virginsbower, Western Clematis: Clematis columbiana var. columbiana (Synonyms: Atragene columbiana, Clematis columbiana, Clematis grosseserrata, Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata, Clematis pseudoalpina, Clematis verticillaris var. columbiana) - Flowers perfect (contain both stamens and pistils) and are blue to reddish-purple in color. Plants viny with ternate leaves, the margins entire or toothed.

Columbia Clematis, Rock Clematis, Western Blue Virginsbower: Clematis columbiana var. dissecta (Synonym: Clematis occidentalis var. dissecta) - Flowers perfect (contain both stamens and pistils) and are blue to reddish-purple in color. Plants viny with ternate leaves, the margins lobed.

Douglas' Clematis, Hairy Clematis, Leather-flower, Sugarbowls, Sugar Bowls: Clematis hirsutissima var. hirsutissima (Synonym: Coriflora hirsutissima) - Flowers perfect and are brownish-purple in color. Herbaceous, non-viny plants with leaves 2-4 times pinnately compound.

Western Clematis, Western White Clematis: Clematis ligusticifolia (Synonyms: Clematis brevifolia, Clematis ligusticifolia var. brevifolia, Clematis ligusticifolia var. ligusticifolia, Clematis neomexicana, Clematis suksdorfii) - Flowers imperfect (either containing stamens or pistils, not both). Viny plants with pinnately compound leaves having 5-7 leaflets. Sepals white, but reduced in size.

Evergreen Clematis, Traveler's-joy: Clematis vitalba - found primarily west of the Cascade Mts. except in Yakima county.


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