Clematis viticella

Clematis viticella L. (Medit., W As.) – A rare, locally naturalized escape from cultivation. First documented in 1861, without further details (Verloove 2006). Already reported as being naturalized in 1875 in Chaudfontaine. Also in the 19th century collected in Soiron and in Vieuxville at the ruins of the Logne castle. C. viticella is probably best known from the valley of river Meuse. De Langhe & al. (1976) reported it from three distinct localities: Godinne (since 1945), Rivière (since 1948) and in Givet in France, close to the Belgian border (since 1973). Bellotte (1976) added a fourth locality in the same valley in Ampsin. Other records are from valleys of river Lesse and Viroin, e.g. Villers-sur-Lesse (riverlet Le Vachaux, 1979), Vierves (railway station, 1968) and Dourbes (1954). It was also seen in abundance at a railway track near Barvaux in 1989 (Gathoye & Lambinon 1989) and in the same year also in Braibant (Ciney). It is uncertain, however, if C. viticella is still present in all these localities. In more recent times it has been recorded in rather few places (for instance in Vichte in 2015) and several of the recent records require confirmation.

Clematis viticella is easily distinguished by its bluish flowers and glabrous styles.

Selected literature

Bellotte W. (1976) Une nouvelle localité de Clematis viticella L. Nat. Mosana 29(1): 37.

Brandenburg W.A., van de Vooren J.G. & Jarvis C.E. (2001) Lectotypification and description of Clematis viticella L. (Ranunculaceae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 135(1): 13-23.

De Langhe J.-E., Delvosalle L., Duvigneaud J., Lambinon J. & Vanden Berghen C. (1976) Documents pour une deuxième édition de la « Nouvelle Flore de la Belgique, du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, du Nord de la France et des régions voisines. Lejeunia 78.

Gathoye J.L. & Lambinon J. (1989) Excursion à Biron et Barvaux-sur-Ourthe le 16 juillet 1989. Nat. Mosana 42(4): 144-148.

Horsch W. (1994) Clematis viticella und ihre Sorten. Gartenpraxis 20(6): 14-19.

Verloove F. (2006) Catalogue of neophytes in Belgium (1800-2005). Scripta Botanica Belgica 39: 89 p. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/tabel_2.pdf]

Wang W.-T. (2007) A revision of Clematis sect. Viticella (Ranunculaceae). Guihaia 27(1): 1-28. [available online at: http://www.guihaia-journal.com/ch/reader/create_pdf.aspx?file_no=2007010...