Common Name:

Virginia virgin's-bower

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Clematis virginiana

Family:

Rannunculaceae

Form:

vine

Size:

to 15 ft tall by to 15 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

winter dormant (dies back to the ground); blooms and fruits summer-fall

Noted For:

Recommended Uses:

Grow on support such as a fence or trellis. Blooms late summer to mid-fall.

Considerations:

May become overly large if not trimmed.

Availability:

Propagation:

Establish from seed, cuttings, or division.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Clay, Loam, Sand

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B

Wildlife:

Attracts hummingbirds.

Larval host for the mournful thyris (Thyris sepulchralis). Attracts bees.

Native Habitats:

Wooded sites, disturbed areas, thickets near roadsides. Typically wet.

Natural Range in Florida:

Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Has male and female plants. Only the females will have showy seed heads.

Clematis terniflora is a similar-looking non-native white Clematis that is considered to be invasive in Florida.  It is sold as an ornamental.  Please choose our native species over this Japanese plant.