[Pipestems, Traveler's Joy, Clematis and Virgin's Bowers: The Genus Clematis in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Pipestems, Traveler's Joy, Western Clematis, Western White Clematis, White Virgin's Bower

Clematis ligusticifolia

Synonyms: Clematis brevifolia, Clematis ligusticifolia var. brevifolia, Clematis ligusticifolia var. ligusticifolia, Clematis neomexicana, Clematis suksdorfii

Close-up of several flowers of western clematis as seen at left along the banks of the Klickitat River along the Company Road upstream from Wahkiacus, western Klickitat County, Washington...........July 21, 2011. The photo at right shows a close-up of several of the developing, plumed fruits of western clematis as seen along the banks of the Klickitat River along the Company Road upstream from Wahkiacus, western Klickitat County, Washington.........July 21, 2011.

Characteristics:

In bloom, western clematis can be a beautiful, climbing vine. During much of the rest of the year, it is most noticable as a smothering mass of vines and leaves which may kill the shrub or tree it is climbin through. The viny stems are woody and reach up to 20 meters in length. Young stems range from smooth surfaced to fairly woolly-hairy. The leaves are opposite on the stems and are pinnately compound with 3-7 leaflets. Individual leaflets range from ovate heart-shaped and range from 3-6 cm long. The margins range from nearly entire to lobed and coarsely toothed with a few teeth.

The inflorescence is a bracteate pahicle with a few to many flowers. Petals are lacking in Clematis, with the showy petal-like structures really the sepals which are a creamy white. Individual sepals are narrowly oblong-lanceolate and range from 6-15 mm long. The flowers are functionally single-sexed, with the staminate flowers lacking pistils while the pistillate flowers will have many normal-sized but sterile stamens. The fruits are plumed achenes.

Habitat:

Western clematis is found in sagebrush, ponderosa pine, and mixed forests, frequently along creek bottoms. It seems to frequently pop up in human disturbed environments and can be quite difficult to get rid of once it is established.

Range:

Western clematis is found from southern British Columbia southward along the east base of the Washington Cascades, then west into the Columbia River Gorge. It is found on both sides of the Oregon Cascades and may be found as far south as southern California. It ranges eastward to New Mexico and North Dakota.

In the Columbia River Gorge, western Clematis may be found between the elevations of 100'-300' from Troutdale, OR east to The Dalles, OR.

Several images of the leaves of western clematis as observed along the old Haul Road between Klickitat, WA and the small community of Suburbia, Klickitat River Canyon.........April 29, 2022. This species has 5 leaflets while the similar Clematis vitalba has 3 leaflets per leaf.

Fruits of western clematis as seen at left along the east bank of the Deschutes River about a mile south of its mouth...........November 3, 2013. The photo at right shows the fluffy fruits of western clematis as seen along the east bank of the Deschutes River about 2 miles upstream of the Columbia River........November 12, 2017.

The photo above shows the fruits of western Clematis, which consists of clusters of achenes with long, plumose or feathery styles. Photographed at Page Springs Campground, at the south end of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge...........September 9, 2000.

Paul Slichter