5. Clematis terniflora DC. (virgin’s bower)

C. dioscoreifolia H. Lév. & Vaniot

C. maximowicziana Franch. & Sav.

C. paniculata Thunb., an illegitimate name

Pl. 514 f–h; Map 2353

Plants with mostly perfect flowers (a few staminate flowers sometimes present), the stems woody (at least toward the base), twining, 3–6 m long. Well-developed leaves pinnately 5–7-foliate, herbaceous in texture, the minor veins not raised, the leaflets entire, the upper surface green, the undersurface glabrous or very sparsely hairy along the main veins, green or pale but not glaucous. Flowers in dense clusters (cymes). Perianth saucer-shaped, the sepals 9–15 mm long, spreading horizontally, white, not thickened or leathery, the margins relatively smooth, the outer surface hairy, the inner surface glabrous. Fruits with the beak 2–6 cm long, plumose with long, spreading hairs. 2n=16. August–September.

Introduced, scattered nearly throughout Missouri, especially in urban areas (native of eastern Asia, widely introduced in the eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada west to Minnesota, Nebraska, and Texas). Banks of streams; also fencerows, roadsides, railroads, and open disturbed areas, sometimes a weed in hedges and other woody plantings.

This species has increased in abundance in the state since Steyermark (1963) reported it from four counties in southwestern and eastern Missouri. It is cultivated for its dense attractive flowers, which have a sweet fragrance, and its “fuzzy” masses of fruits. However, it spreads aggressively by seeds in gardens and is a vigorous colonizer of disturbed habitats.