Vasevine, Leatherflower (Clematis viorna L.)

 
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

If you are used to the showy, spreading petals (actually sepals) of the various kinds of cultivated clematis, you will be surprised to find that leatherflower is a member of that genus.  So different from the others, is Clematis viorna, and other similar species also called leatherflowers, that they are placed in a special section of the genus, and have been placed in their own genus in the past, the genus Viorna.

Leatherflowers are in the Ranunculaceae, the Buttercup Family, like Species of the Week number 4, Thimbleweed.  Leatherflowers, like thimbleweeds and most members of the Buttercup Family, have no petals.  Instead the sepals are modified to look like petals.  In leatherflowers, the four sepals are tough and leathery, hence the common name, and are a subdued red-purple shade.  The sepals are fused towards the base, and curl back at the tips, forming a very elegant urn-shaped flower.  The leaves are compound, being composed of three, five or seven leaflets.  Only two leaflets are seen in the picture at left, but three can be made out in the picture below.  The plant is a vine, and climbs over other plants.

Once fertilized, the flowers develop into fruits, which are also very interesting, as seen in the second picture.  The fruit is called an achene by botanists.  This is defined as a dry, one-seeded fruit, with the outer wall tightly enclosing the seed.  In leatherflowers, and in other clematis species, the achene has a long, hairy tail attached.  Many achenes cluster together, with the tails sticking out in a loose spiral.  These clusters are very dramatic and quite decorative.


Photographic Location: Standing Stone State Park TN

Clematis viorna is found in moist woods and thickets from Pennsylvania to Illinois and Missouri, south to Georgia and Mississippi.  The genus Clematis is found worldwide throughout the temperate and subtropical regions.  The name Clematis is Greek and refers to some climbing plant, though no one is sure exactly which.