...VIRGIN'S BOWER SEED HEADS,,, |
| ...DITTO... |
...CLEMATIS VIRGINIA CLAMBERING OVER SHRUBS... |
| ...VIRGIN'S BOWER FLOWER |
Thursday, 8:30 AM. 26 degrees F at the ferry dock, 24 on the back porch. Wind ENE, calm with occasional moderate gusts. The sky is overcast and cloudy, the humidity 78%. The barometer is steady at present but will soon take a nosedive, with highs in the low 30's today. It will warm some and rain tomorrow, with mixed skies and wintry temperatures for the weekend. We had a dusting of wet snow last night which left the roads slick with an almost invisible coating of treacherous black ice. No walk for Buddy and me this morning.
Virgin's bower and wild cucumber are both native climbing vines that are quite prevalent and interesting, and from a distance at least may be confused, so we will address them in two consecutive posts:
The virgin’s bower, AKA wild clematis Clematis virginiana, in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae), is a perennial native climbing vine which one might confuse with wild cucumber at a distance, but the flowers and seed heads are distinctly different, looking like anemone (also in the Buttercup Family). It blooms from July through September. I have seen almost none of it his year, although it was abundant last year.
The genus name is ancient Greek for a climbing vine of that era, and the species name indicates it is a North American plant. It is native throughout much of the continent, where it decorates trees and shrubs along woods edges, roads and stream banks. It is quite attractive, and has a pleasant, mildly sweet scent when in flower. Flowers are followed by interesting clusters of filamentous seed heads (thus another common name, devil's darning needles). The vine climbs by the means of twisting leaf petioles and can reach fifteen or twenty feet in height.
A Japanese species, sweet autumn clematis, Clematis terniflora, is a rampant grower and has been much planted in the eastern US. It is very floriferous and fragrant but can quickly take over and has been declared an invasive species in some states.
Virgin's bower is said to have had some use among Native Americans as an analgesic and a bitter tonic, and as a love potion. It is reportedly hazardous to handle or ingest, causing a severe but brief reaction to skin and mouth tissues; I have not experienced any such reaction but it is probably best to wear gloves if handling this plant.
Virgin's bower and wild cucumber are both native climbing vines that are quite prevalent and interesting, and from a distance at least may be confused, so we will address them in two consecutive posts:
The virgin’s bower, AKA wild clematis Clematis virginiana, in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae), is a perennial native climbing vine which one might confuse with wild cucumber at a distance, but the flowers and seed heads are distinctly different, looking like anemone (also in the Buttercup Family). It blooms from July through September. I have seen almost none of it his year, although it was abundant last year.
The genus name is ancient Greek for a climbing vine of that era, and the species name indicates it is a North American plant. It is native throughout much of the continent, where it decorates trees and shrubs along woods edges, roads and stream banks. It is quite attractive, and has a pleasant, mildly sweet scent when in flower. Flowers are followed by interesting clusters of filamentous seed heads (thus another common name, devil's darning needles). The vine climbs by the means of twisting leaf petioles and can reach fifteen or twenty feet in height.
A Japanese species, sweet autumn clematis, Clematis terniflora, is a rampant grower and has been much planted in the eastern US. It is very floriferous and fragrant but can quickly take over and has been declared an invasive species in some states.
Virgin's bower is said to have had some use among Native Americans as an analgesic and a bitter tonic, and as a love potion. It is reportedly hazardous to handle or ingest, causing a severe but brief reaction to skin and mouth tissues; I have not experienced any such reaction but it is probably best to wear gloves if handling this plant.
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