Alpine clematis

Family Ranunculaceae. The habitats of the Alpine clematis are forests and shrub thickets along riverbanks and rocky cliffs of Central Europe.

Light-loving mesophyte, microtherm, mesotroph, an associate of shrub thickets. Cultivated in the botanical gardens of Europe. Protected in nature reserves.

This climber rises up to 3 m in height, attaching to supports with long twining petioles and hanging from them in dense garlands. Leaves are trifoliate or twice-trifoliate, the leaflets 2–5 cm long, acute at the apex and serrate along the margin. The flowers, consisting of four large sepals and small petals, sit on slender pedicels. In shape they are broadly bell-shaped, 2–6 cm in diameter, azure-blue or violet-blue in color. Each sepal is ovate-elliptic with an acuminate tip. On the outside and along the margins they are slightly pubescent. The petals themselves are half the size of the sepals, spatulate in shape, less decorative or even entirely inconspicuous against the bright, beautifully colored sepals. The Alpine clematis blooms in May–June. Numerous hairy fruits aggregated into a head ripen in August–September. There are varieties (forms) with pink and white flowers.

Cultivars with flowers of various colors have been obtained:

'Пинк Фламинго' ('Pink Flamingo') - a climber 2–3 m tall, flowers pink, pendent, 6–7 cm long. Abundant flowering in April–June, with occasional repeat flowers in July–August. First pruning group.

'Памела Джекмен' ('Pamela Jackman') - a climber 2–3 m tall, flowers blue-violet, pendent, 4–5 cm long. Flowers on last year’s shoots in May. First pruning group.

'Вилли' ('Willy') - a climber 2–3 m tall, flowers ranging from white to deep pink, pendent, 5 cm long. Abundant flowering in May. First pruning group.