#clematis virginiana

[geopsych]

Native wild clematis, Clematis virginiana, growing along the lake path. I love to see it.

[uxbridge]

Virginia clematis in bloom

[neverfeltthewinterquitesodead]

glad to see my virgins bower is still alive after all its been through.......

[lmaxell-plants]

Clematis Virginiana - Virgin's Bower

native

Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)

Notes: This guy is going crazy covering out front fence, covered in small white flowers. It's seed pods are also very visually interesting and stay throughout the winter as puffs. If any of it's vines touch soil it WILL try to set roots and make another plant, which happened this past year and we though "Sure this is fine" but it wasn't, dear reader, the plant is in control.

[deathtek]

8/16/22

[vandaliatraveler]

Walk with me: Mid-summer hike through a Central Appalachian forest. As summer hurtles toward its final explosive act, the forest's living things embrace urgent, primordial impulses triggered by shrinking daylight: to bloom, to seed, to feed, and to reproduce before the killing frost of Autumn shocks the earth into hibernation. In the deep forest, the fetid perfume of decaying fungi signals the countdown has begun. From top: a bumblebee traversing the fanning pink flowers of hollow-stemmed Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum); the maturing red stem and flowers of seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia), also known as rattlebox and square-pod water-primrose, a very attractive wetlands annual with four-sided seed capsules; cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior), also known as common water dropwort, a delicate, marsh-loving member of the carrot family that also happens to be toxic; Allegheny hawkweed (Hieracium paniculatum), also known as panicled hawkweed, a spindly-stemmed member of the dandelion tribe; the lovely and hallucinogenic fly agaric (Amanita muscaria); a sprawling colony of sulphur shelf fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus), an edible delicacy otherwise known as chicken of the woods; a red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens); white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata); a twin set of common puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum); the fungal version of suburban sprawl courtesy of orange moss agaric (Rickenella fibula); a gelatinous serving of orange witches' butter (Dacrymyces chrysospermus); a fiery clump of eastern Jack-o-lanterns (Omphalotus illudens); a potter wasp (Ancistrocerus campestris) drinking from the clumped white flowers of virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana); one of my all-time favorite critters, a locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae), taking its nectar fill from flat-top goldentop (Euthamia graminifolia), also known as grass-leaved goldenrod; a green metallic sweat bee (Augochloropsis ?) finding sustenance from parasol white-top (Doellingeria umbellata var. umbellata), also known as flat-top aster; and the intricate purple flowers of tall ironweed (Vernonia gigantea).

[forestd0ll]

Clematis virginiana⊹꩜˳·˖✶⋆

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

My Garden Flowers Part 7

All photos mine, unedited.

In order of appearance:

181. Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea) She's named for flowering earlier than most goldenrods, which tend to flower in late summer to fall, but not all! I've seen others flower earlier.

182. Canadian Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis) Wasn't expecting her to flower this year, but there she was in the spring! No berries, though, sadly. Maybe next year!

183. Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

184. Burning Bush (Euonymus atropurpureus) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

185. Mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

186. Veiny Meadow Rue (Thalictrum venulosom) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

187. Wild Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) Not blue like the ones that enchanted me the time I visited my aunt in England, but still very nice.

188. Beggar's Lice (Hackelia virginiana) I didn't plant her and don't keep many now that she's popped up. She's a handsome enough plant but her fruits stick to EVERYTHING and leaves can get sickly from time to time.

189. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet and probably won't this year because my landlord cut that area. (:

190. Squashberry (Viburnum edule) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

191. Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

192. Virgin's Bower (Clematis ligusticifolia) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

193. Largeleaf Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum macrophyllum) In my opinion she should be named for her rhizome rather than her leaf. The leaves aren't that big but the rhizomes are huge.

194. Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet, but she is spreading in a nice little mat.

195. Alpine bistort (Bistorta vivipara) Not pictured as I haven't got pictures yet.

196. Rough Cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica monspeliensis) I didn't plant this, but she is there regardless! Not pictured as I haven't got pictures yet.

197. Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) Not a fern. The leaves are just kind of fernlike.

198. Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet. New area for her and we'll see if A) she survives and B) if she doesn't turn out to be bigleaf lupine again.

199. Gray Goldernrod (Solidago nemoralis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

200. Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) She gets fairly tall and the flowers come up at the top.

201. Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) Another one that's not native to the area and can't survive the winter, but has been grown here in the summers long before colonization.

202. Tall Cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta) Very strawberry-like flowers that sit atop the plant.

203. Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

204. American Sweetflag (Acorus americana) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

205. River Beauty (Chamaenerion latifolium) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

206. Large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Don't know if she'll flower again this year, but she did make a couple of berries last year!

207. Heart-Leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

208. Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

209. Little Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) This was supposed to be a different species, but that's okay. She's still native to the range I accept. Her leaves have a lovely natural variegation to them.

210. Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata) Nice blue flowers that thrive in shady spots.

[ravenrook]

Materia medica #1: Devil's Darning Needle

Scientific name: Clematis virginiana; Clematis terniflora

Family: Ranunculaceae

Common name: Devil's darning needle; Old Man's Beard; Virgin's Bower; Woodbine; Traveller's Joy

Description: A vigorous vine bearing flowers with four petals. After flowering in late summer or early fall, the fruit develops into a clump long fluffy strings. Several species can easily be confused, C. virginiana can be identified by having trifoliate leaves. Found near edges: fence rows, stream banks, hedges. When cultivated, may be trained onto trellises, but otherwise will overtake other plants.

Toxicity notes: Poisonous. Do not eat. Sap may cause blisters on skin.

Magical notes: No planetary associations, though one source connects it to Venus/Freyja. UPG: I would call this a saturnine plant due to its choking tendencies, poisonous qualities, and association with the "Old Man."

Folklore notes: A similar Clematis species found in Europe is said to have shaded the Virgin Mary while she traveled, and this lore may have been transferred to the North American species. Others associate it with witchcraft and the devil, though I can't find an explanation for this beyond its habit of smothering other plants. The downy fruit is said to look like a beard, perhaps inspiring the devil connection.

Craft uses: I haven't found anyone else's magical uses, so the following is all UPG. I see binding as the primary use for this plant, especially in baneful workings. For instance, a "stop gossip" spell may include the creation of a poppet that is tied up or the mouth sewn shut using the vine. It may be an asset in workings dealing with the more malevolent side of a love goddess, as it brings together the juxtaposed views of this plant.

[I hope you enjoyed my first materia medica entry. I'm hoping to show not just information on individual plants, but also how you can build your herbal knowledge. If you have any suggestions for what I should add to these entries, let me know!]

Sources

North Carolina Plant Toolbox

Wikipedia

Growsonyou

Virginia Wildflowers

Flowers and Flower Lore

[kihaku-gato]

@lilkittay both the clematis and new england asters in question are cultivated plants in a relatively small gardenbed adjacent to a poorly-tended and currently unplanted vegetable garden and then further afield agricultural land. The Clematis in particular (a non-native C. tangutica that some classify as invasive and a native but infamously overaggressive C. virginiana) were becoming too difficult to keep from choking everything else or escaping containment without drastic measures- which lead to pruning out-of-season to deadhead the reseeding of them.

Fortunately even if I had deadheaded the new england aster specimens (which I'm glad I didn't- watch me change my mind when I fight their offspring 2024 lol), a good chunk of their relatives (some from reseeds of the garden plants, others being the grandmoms of the plants I have in my garden) have been proliferating in the ditches/roadsides here (and some other volunteers have slipped past the mowers to flower/seed along the lawn edges), so the Juncos and other birds would still have access to food from those specimens. Garden tending was near nonexistent this 2023 so a heavy hand was required to keep some aggressive species from reaching places they cannot be allowed to reach.

Spotted some Juncos from the window this morning feeding on the New England Aster seedheads. I'm glad my lazy butt never got around to cutting off the seedheads.

[woodavens]

Clematis virginiana and honey bees 🌼🐝🌼

[neverfeltthewinterquitesodead]

clematis virginiana devils darning needles albert fw vick jr, 1988, lady bird johnson wildflower center

[fatchance]

Palouse Falls: Virgin’s bower clematis (Clematis virginiana). 

[cazort]

I would call this Clematis terniflora. In Northern Delaware it is highly invasive, shutting out native vegetation on a pretty large scale, and often climbing trees and sometimes even bringing them down or killing them. It seems more aggressive here than farther north; it seems to reach its range limits in central PA and it is absent from northern PA and most of upstate NY.

In areas where I pulled this out, I have seen huge increases in biodiversity as native vegetation filled in in its absence. It competes directly with native wild grapes, occupying a similar niche, and also to a degree with the native black raspberries which also have a sprawling, somewhat vining habit, but woody plants and tall herbaceous plants are often much better-able to compete with the native vines than with this one.

Clematis virginiana is native here and I think it would be great if people would plant that species instead of the introduced / invasive one. I would love to pull out all of the introduced one and spread the native one. Again, I don't see it dominate and create problems in the ecosystem the way the introduced one does. It is also more cold-hardy and survives all through northern PA and upstate NY.

It’s weedy

It comes up all over and I pull a lot of it but it’s beautiful and the honeybees visit from far and wide when it’s blooming: Clematis paniculata.

[mikepots83]

Clematis virginiana in full bloom! I planted this two years ago. These native clematis grow in such abundance here. I love these plants@ However, if they don't get adequate sunlight they won't flower. I dug this plant up from the field and planted it along the railing of the steps to a friends cabin. It will not be staying here. These clematis produce a lot of seed which allows the plant to spread all over the area. . . . #clematis #clematisvirginiana #nativeclematis #nativewildflowers #wildflowers #wncmountains #blueridgemountains #southernappalachia #upperhickorynutgorge #maker #ilovegardening (at Gerton, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSnhw0AjTo8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[vandaliatraveler]

Late afternoon at the balsam fir swamp in Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

From top: nodding bur-marigold (Bidens cernua), also sometimes referred to as nodding beggarticks, a clumping, wetlands-loving annual whose flowerheads nod as they mature and get heavier; bushy St. John's wort (Hypericum densiflorum), a gorgeous, densely-packed shrub with vibrant yellow flowers and copper-colored bark; white meadowsweet (Spiraea alba), a rapidly-colonizing shrub whose branching clusters of white flowers are one of summer's most generous gifts; narrow-leaved gentian (Gentiana linearis), a tall, elegant bottle gentian that can only be pollinated by bumblebees strong enough to pry open (or chew through) its closed petals; flat-topped white aster (Doellingeria umbellata), also known as parasol whitetop, a tall, attractive mountain aster with flat, branching clusters of white flowers; and the dainty white flowers of virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana), a vigorous, twining vine that forms beautiful, dense waves of foliage and flowers.