Clematis viticella

Clematis viticella, the Italian leather flower,^[1] purple clematis,^[2] or virgin's bower, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. This deciduous climber was the first clematis imported into English gardens, where it was already being grown in 1569 by Hugh Morgan, apothecary to Elizabeth I.^[3] By 1597, when it was already being called "virgin's bower", there were two varieties in English gardens, a blue (actually a purple-blue) and a red.^[4][5]

Clematis viticella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Clematis
Species:	C. viticella
Binomial name
Clematis viticella L.

All varieties of clematis viticella are hardy in winter, tolerant of both sun and shade, and resistant to clematis wilt.^[6]

References

1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Clematis viticella​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
3. Alice M. Coats, Garden Shrubs and their Histories (1964) 1992, s.v. "Clematis".
4. Centuries later, the red C. viticella was a parent of the best-known hybrid clematis, Clematis × jackmanii (Coats [1964] 1992).
5. "Clematis viticella | Botanic Garden". Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
6. Milbocker, Jana (2013-06-12). "Vigorous and Carefree Climber: Clematis Viticella". Enchanted Gardens. Retrieved 2024-07-23.