Clematis

clematis (klĕm`ətĭs, kləmăt`ĭs), any plant of the large genus Clematis (sometimes subdivided into three or four genera), widely distributed herbs or vines of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), many of them native to the United States. Some have an irritating sap. The vines, climbing by tendrils that are modified leafstalks, are the more popular and are usually profuse bloomers. The flowers are varied in shape and color; the fruits are small and dry, with a feathery appearance. Most popular in North America are the Jackman clematis (C. jackmanii), a large purple hybrid, and the Japanese clematis (C. paniculata) with small white flowers. Some clematises are called virgin's-bower, traveler's-joy, leatherflower, and old-man's-beard. Clematis is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae.

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clematis

Any of the more than 200 species of perennial, chiefly climbing shrubs of the genus Clematis (buttercup family), found through most of the world, especially in Asia and North America. Many species are cultivated in North America for their attractive flowers, either solitary or in large clusters. The leaves usually are compound. Common species include woodbine; traveler's joy, or old-man's-beard (C. vitalba); virgin's bower (C. cirrhosa); and vine bower (C. viticella). The most popular horticultural hybrids are of primarily three species: C. florida, C. patens, and C. jackmanii.

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clematis

any N temperate ranunculaceous climbing plant or erect shrub of the genus Clematis, having plumelike fruits. Many species are cultivated for their large colourful flowers

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clematis

symbol of deception. [Flower Symbolism: Jobes, 347; Flora Symbolica, 173]

See : Deceit

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Clematis

a genus of plants of the family Ranunculaceae, including perennial grasses or woody plants with winding, climbing, or straight stems and opposite simple, pinnately compound, or feathered leaves. The blossoms grow singly or in racemes and the perianth most often has four, or rarely five to eight, petal-shaped sepals; modified stamens, or staminodia, sometimes occur. There are numerous stamens and carpels. The fruit is composed of multiple nuts with long feathery tips. There are more than 250 species in temperate and warm regions.

Eighteen species are found in the USSR, primarily in southern areas, growing among bushes, in clearings, open forests, and on slopes; most often they are found in river valleys. Clematis recta is a perennial with a straight stem and large white or yellowish blossoms; it grows in central and southern belts of the European USSR. Traveler’s Joy (C. vitalba) is a climbing bush with yellowish fuzzy blossoms that is found in the Crimea and the Caucasus. The leaves and blossoms of both these species contain bactericidal and fungicidal substances and are poisonous. Many species are decorative and are used for vegetation on balconies, bowers, and walls. Plants of the genus Atragene are often assigned to Clematis.

T. V. EGOROVA