Flora of New Zealand Series

oriental clematis

Deciduous woody climber; stems terete, weakly ribbed. Lvs glabrous or sparsely hairy, ± glaucous, 2-pinnate, (3)-8-15-(20) × (2)-7-12 cm; leaflets thin, lanceolate, cuneate to truncate at base, acute; margin sharply toothed, rarely 1-2-lobed at base; petiole (2)-4-8 cm long, glabrous or with fine silky hairs. Fls pendent, ⚥, solitary in lf axils. Bracts paired, leaflike, 1-pinnate or simple, not united, inserted below middle of peduncle. Sepals 4, valvate, greenish yellow, glabrous outside, silky hairy inside, with dense hairs near margins, lanceolate, acute, mucronate, 13-19-(27) × 5-8-(15) mm. Anthers 3-4 mm long; filaments ciliate, dilated at base. Achenes compressed, hairy, c. 4 mm long. Style 3-4.5 cm long at fruiting.

S.: Canterbury; C. Otago.

China 1958

Riverbeds, stony waste land, among broom, brier and matagouri scrub.

FL Jan-Mar FT Jan-Apr-(Jul).

The pendent yellow fls of oriental clematis are distinctive. Also the stamen filaments are dilated at the base. The sp. has also been known in N.Z. as C. orientalis.