Louisville, KY (Zone 6b) | January 2015 | positive
A very rare Southern US endemic from Northern Alabama and nearby areas in Tennessee, it was not described until 1982. It resembles it's c...Read Morelose relative C. viorna. According to Flora of North America these are the distinguishing characteristics: "From all variants of the closely related Clematis viorna , C. morefieldii differs in the cobwebby tomentose as well as villous pubescence of its stems, and in having bracts at or very near the base of the peduncle rather than well above the base." Unlike some of the US leather flowers, it blooms on petioles near the leaf attachments along the stems at regular intervals somewhat like C. tubulosa. It has only recently been available in the trade and it's cultivation requirements are uncertain, but in the wild it usually appears in open woodlands near seeps, so it is likely a moisture lover. It's future is still uncertain in the wild. Although some populations are on protected lands, others cling to tiny remnant habitats adjacent to industrial (logging and quarrying) and residential developments and some of the original populations have since been completely extirpated.
A very rare Southern US endemic from Northern Alabama and nearby areas in Tennessee, it was not described until 1982. It resembles it's c...Read More