Dictionary:
clem·a·tis (klĕm'ə-tĭs, klĭ-măt'ĭs)  |
[Latin clēmatis, a creeping plant, from Greek klēmatis, from klēma, klēmat-, twig.]
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A genus of the plant family Ranunculaceae; contains toxin protoanemonin causing anorexia, thirst, violent diarrhea, convulsions when ingested, lacrimation, rhinorrhea when inhaled, vesication when rubbed on; includes C. aristata, C. glycinoides, C. microphylla, C. vitalba (travellers’ joy).
| Wikipedia: Clematis |
| Clematis | |
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| Clematis 'Nelly Moser' | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Clematis Dill. ex L. |
| Species | |
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Clematis is a genus of climbing vines with showy flowers. They are popular among gardeners, and over 200 species are known[1] with more cultivars being produced constantly. Most species are known as clematis in English, while some are also known as traveller's joy, old man's beard, leather flower, vase vine and virgin's bower, the last three being names used for North American species.
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The genus name is pronounced /ˈklɛmətɨs/,[2] from Ancient Greek klématis, a climbing plant, probably periwinkle. There are over two hundred species and cultivars, often named for their originators or particular characteristics.
The genus is composed of mostly vigorous, woody, climbing vines technically called lianas. The woody stems are quite fragile until several years old.[1] Leaves are usually divided into leaflets, with leafstalks that twist and curl around supporting structures to anchor the plant as it climbs.[1] Some species are shrubby, and some others are herbaceous perennial plants. The cool temperate species are deciduous, but many of the warmer climate species are evergreen. They grow best when their roots are shaded but their tops are in full sun. They are generally acid-intolerant calciphytes that grow on limestone and other basic soils.
Though they are famous as flowering plants, the clustered true flowers are in fact tiny; the showy parts are actually sepals that resemble colorful flower petals.[1] The blossoms and sepals eventually fall away leaving fluffy clusters of seeds with tails.[1] The timing and location of flowers varies; spring-blooming clematis flower on the previous year's stems, summer/fall blooming clematis bloom only on the ends of new stems, and twice-flowering clematis do both at the respective times.[1]
Clematis species are found throughout the temperate regions of both hemispheres, and also in mountains in the tropics. Clematis leaves are food for the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera species, including the Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria).
Clematis was called pepper vine by early travelers and pioneers of the American Old West and used as a pepper substitute to spice up food since true black pepper (Piper nigrum) was a costly and rarely obtainable spice. The entire genus contains essential oils and compounds which are extremely irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. Unlike black pepper or Capsicum, however, the compounds in clematis cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if ingested in large amounts. The plants are essentially toxic. Despite its toxicity, Native Americans used very small amounts of clematis as an effective treatment for migraine headaches and nervous disorders. It was also used as an effective treatment of skin infections.[3]
A partial list of species:
One recent classification recognised 297 species of clematis, so it is not surprising that taxonomists and gardeners subdivide the genus. Several classification systems exist.
Magnus Johnson divided Clematis into 19 sections, several with subsections.[4] Christopher Grey-Wilson divided the genus into 9 subgenera (Clematis, Cheiropsis, Flammula, Archiclematis, Campanella, Atragene, Tubulosae, Pseudanemone, Viorna), several with sections and subsections within them.[5] Several of the subdivisions are fairly consistent between these two systems; for example, all of Grey-Wilson's subgenera are used as sections by Johnson. Alternatively, John Howell defined twelve groups: the Evergreen, Alpina, Macropetala, Montana, Rockery, Early Large-Flowered, Late Large-Flowered, Herbaceous, Viticella, Texensis, Orientalis, and Late Mixed groups.[6]
Many of the most popular garden forms are cultivars belonging to the Viticella section of the subgenus Flammula as defined by Grey-Wilson. These larger-flowered cultivars are often used within garden designs to climb archways, pergolas, wall-mounted trellis or to grow through companion plants. These forms normally have large 12-15cm diameter upward-facing flowers and are believed to involve crosses of C. patens, C. lanuginosa and C. viticella.[7] Early-season, large-flowering forms (eg. "Nelly Moser") tend towards the natural flowering habit of C. patens or C. lanuginosa while later-flowering forms (eg. x jackmanii) are nearer in habit to C. viticella.
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| Translations: Clematis |
Nederlands (Dutch)
clematis (soort klimplant)
Français (French)
n. - clématite
Deutsch (German)
n. - (bot.) Klematis
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) κληματίς, κληματσίδα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - clematite (f) (Bot.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - clemátide
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klematis (bot.)
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
铁线莲
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鐵線蓮
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) نوع من النبات المتسلق
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - זלזלת (צמח מטפס)
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| Best of the Web: clematis |
Some good "clematis" pages on the web:
 Gardening hcs.osu.edu |
| Shopping: clematis |
 | old man's beard |
| traveller's joy |
| lady's bower |
 | Why doesn't my clematis bloom? Read answer... |
| Whats a synonym for clematis? Read answer... |
| Can you eat the fruit of a clematis passion flower? Read answer... |
 | Where do you trim on the clematis? |
| What does the clematis symbolize? |
| What are the features of a clematis? |
Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Clematis". Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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