Clematis viticella
Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Southern Europe and Western Asia, from the Italic Peninsula to Iran.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5][6]
| 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 | |
All varieties of Clematis viticella are hardy in winter, tolerant of both sun and shade, and resistant to clematis wilt.[7]