Clematis lasiantha explained
Clematis lasiantha, the pipestem clematis, is a creamy-white flowering liana vine, belonging to subgenus Clematis of the large genus Clematis.[1]
Distribution
It is found on the Pacific coast of North America, from the San Francisco Bay Area southwards into Baja California. It extends as far east as the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, but does not grow in the Central Valley, nor at heights greater than about 2000m (7,000feet). It grows on hillsides, in chaparral, and in open woodland.
Description
Clematis lasiantha, the pipestem clematis, flowers from January to June. Its leaves are 3-lobed, and generally grow groups of three to five leaflets, the largest leaves on the plant normally being between 3 and 5 cm in size. The pipestem clematis can be distinguished from the similar (but much more widely ranging) virgin's bower by the fact that pipestems normally only have one flower on each stalk, and at most three, whereas the virgin's bower has multiple flowers on each stem. The pipestem also has more pistils in each flower, but since both species have many, this is not an easy criterion to apply. The virgin's bower is more likely to be found along streams or in other wet places, whereas the pipestem tolerates more open, drier places. The plant attracts butterflies.[2]
Further reading
- Peinado. M.. Alcaraz. F.. Aguirre. J. L.. Delgadillo. J.. Aguado. I.. Shrubland formations and associations in mediterranean-desert transitional zones of northwestern Baja California. Vegetatio. 117. 2. 1995. 165–179. 0042-3106. 10.1007/BF00045507. 33254787.
- Peinado. M.. Macías. M. Á.. Ocaña-Peinado. F. M.. Aguirre. J. L.. Delgadillo. J.. Bioclimates and vegetation along the Pacific basin of Northwestern Mexico. Plant Ecology. 212. 2. 2010. 263–281. 1385-0237. 10.1007/s11258-010-9820-z. 32546193.
- Xie. Lei. Li. Liang-Qian. Variation of pollen morphology, and its implications in the phylogeny of Clematis (Ranunculaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution. 2012. 298. 8. 1437–1453. 0378-2697. 10.1007/s00606-012-0648-y. 2325417.
- Timbrook. Jan. Ethnobotany of chumash indians, California, Based on Collections by John P. Harrington. Economic Botany. 44. 2. 1990. 236–253. 0013-0001. 10.1007/BF02860489. 25807034. free.
- Book: Sands, Anne . Riparian forests in California: their ecology and conservation: a symposium . Division of Agricultural Sciences, University of California . Berkeley . 1980 . 0-931876-41-9 .
External links
Notes and References
- Keener. Carl S.. W. Michael Dennis. The Subgeneric Classification of Clematis (Ranunculaceae) in Temperate North America North of Mexico. Taxon. February 1982. 31. 1. 37–44. 1220586. 10.2307/1220586.
- Web site: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. 2021-12-24. www.wildflower.org.
