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Autumn Clematis

Clematis terniflora

Summary 8

Clematis terniflora (Sweet Autumn Clematis) is a plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia (Siberia), Taiwan), but is cultivated in gardens and has naturalized in parts of North America. It is considered an invasive plant in some locations.

Description and biology 9

  • Plant: climbing, deciduous to semi-evergreen, perennial vine.
  • Leaves: opposite, compound 3 leaflets; leaflets are 2-3 in. long and have entire (non-toothed) margins.
  • Flowers, fruits and seeds: flowers are produced late summer through fall; flowers are white with four petals; seeds are produced in profusion and are showy due to long, silvery-gray, feather-like hairs attached.
  • Spreads: by wind-dispersed seed.
  • Look-alikes: There are dozens of native species of Clematis in the U.S. including several that are quite rare. Devil’s darning needles (C. virginiana), the species most likely to be confused with sweet autumn virginsbower due to its similar looking white flowers, has leaves that are compound and toothed. The much cultivated and highly popular ornamental Clematis vines with large, showy flowers in a wide variety of colors from white to rose to purple, typically with eight or more petals, have not been reported to be invasive.

Ecological threat in the united states 10

This species is found invading forest edges, right-of-ways and urban areas along streams and roads. It grows vigorously over other vegetation, forming dense blankets that block sunlight to the plants underneath. In late summer infestations are conspicuous as a result of its abundant showy white flowers.

Distribution and habitat in the united states 11

Sweet autumn virginsbower is documented to occur in much of the eastern U.S. from Minnesota to Vermont, south to Texas and Florida. It has been reported to be invasive in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, although it is probably invasive in additional states where it occurs. It prefers full sun but can tolerate partial shade.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) -NjuTIKA-, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/44468093@N04/4161227254
  2. (c) 1999 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=19807&one=T
  3. (c) 2012 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=422147&one=T
  4. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/photos/aut_clematis3.jpg
  5. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/photos/aut_clematis2.jpg
  6. (c) Evan M. Raskin, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Evan M. Raskin
  7. (c) Shoefly, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Fall_2011_sweet_autumn_clematis1.jpg
  8. Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis_terniflora
  9. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22734049
  10. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22734048
  11. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22734047

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