Clematis recta

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, CAUTION

Young shoot tips can be eaten cooked or pickled. Some caution is advised due to known toxicity concerns in this species.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in scrub and on rocky ground. It does best in moist, rich soil. It needs a protected and partly shaded position. It is sensitive to frost and drought. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Australia, Canada, Europe*, France, Italy, Mediterranean, North America, Slovenia, Spain, Tasmania, Yugoslavia,

How to Identify

An erect plant. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 0.9-1.5 m tall and spreads 0.9-1.2 m wide. The stems have lines along them. The leaves are large. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. There are 5-7 leaflets. These are blue-green and pointed. The flowers are small and white. They are in large panicles. The fruit are dark brown and round. The seeds are compressed with long yellowish tails.

How to Grow

Succeeds in any soil in full sun, but prefers a fertile sandy loam. Dislikes poorly-drained heavy clay soils, but grows well in clay if grit is added for drainage. Does well on chalk. Dislikes winter wet. Succeeds in acid as well as alkaline soils. Plans are hardy to about -25°c. A twining plant. The leafstalks wrap themselves around twigs and branches for support. When a side of the stalk touches an object, the growth on that side slows down whilst the other side grows at its normal rate - this causes the leaf stalk to entwine the object it is touching. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value. When planting out, in order to avoid the disease 'clematis wilt', it is best to plant the rootball about 8cm deeper in the soil. This will also serve to build up a good root crown of growth buds. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.

Propagation: Sow seed fresh in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe; stored seed should also be sown in a cold frame as soon as it is obtained. Pre-soak seed for 12 hours in warm water and remove as much of the tail and outer coat as possible. Cold stratification is beneficial. Germination occurs in 1–9 months or more at 20°c. Prick seedlings out into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame through their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Take internodal cuttings of soft to semi-ripe wood in late spring, rooted in sandy soil in a frame. Propagate also by layering old stems in late winter or early spring, or by layering the current season's growth in early summer.

Medicinal Uses

The flowers and leaves are diaphoretic, diuretic, and rubefacient, used both internally and externally in the treatment of syphilitic, cancerous, and other foul ulcers. Caution is advised as this is a poisonous plant. A homeopathic remedy prepared from the plant is used to treat rheumatism and skin eruptions.

Other Uses

None known.

Clematis recta, the erect climaxis or ground virgins, is a species of Clematis unusual in that it is a free-standing shrub rather than a climbing plant. Growing usually on the margins of woodland areas, it is native to Eastern, Southern and Mid Europe. Two varieties are accepted: Clematis erecta nothovar. hybrida Lemoine ex Bonard Clematis erecta var. erecta

Notes

There are about 250 Clematis species.

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