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Italian leather flower

Clematis viticella

Also called Purple clematis, European Purple Clematis, Italian Clematis, Italian Virgin's Bower

Clematis viticella is a deciduous climbing vine from southern Europe and western Asia, widely grown for its purple-blue, red, or pink flowers. It is hardy, tolerant of sun or shade, and resistant to clematis wilt.

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Grows as: Climber
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Keep the soil evenly moist, watering deeply during dry spells, especially while establishing.
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, with roots kept cool and shaded by a mulch or low plants.
Temperature: Hardy in winter; roughly -25 to 30 °C in the open ground.
How easy: Easy
Safety: Toxic: All parts contain protoanemonin and other irritant compounds that can cause skin irritation and gut upset if eaten; the sap can blister skin.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range: SE. Europe to W. Syria and N. Iran
Climate: temperate

About

Clematis viticella, the Italian leather flower, purple clematis, or virgin's bower, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Southern Europe and Western Asia, from the Italic Peninsula to Iran. This deciduous climber was the first clematis imported into English gardens, where it was already being grown in 1569 by Hugh Morgan, apothecary to Elizabeth I. By 1597, when it was already being called "virgin's bower", there were two varieties in English gardens, a blue (actually a purple-blue) and a red.

All varieties of Clematis viticella are hardy in winter, tolerant of both sun and shade, and resistant to clematis wilt.

Other Clematis plants

Rush Stem Clematis · Clematis akebioides · Alpine clematis · Goat's Beard · Evergreen Clematis · Clematis aromatica · Pine hyacinth · Bigelow's leather flower · Traveler's-joy · Satincurls · Gold Wool Clematis · Early Virgin's Bower

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Clematis viticella by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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