Climbers
The ability to climb and scramble over the ground or other plants is the only characteristic shared by plants in this category.
Calystegia hederacea Wall. var. flore pleno
Fully-hardy trailing or climbing perennial with hairy, lance-shaped leaves, to 10cm long, and solitary, double, rose coloured flowers, to 5cm across and 3.5cm long, the corolla divided into many narrow, petal-like lobes, in summer and autumn. To 5m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Campsis grandiflora K. Schum.
Frost hardy, vigorous tendrilled climber with pinnate leaves to 30cm, each with 7-9 coarsely-toothed leaflets, and pendent, terminal panicles of 6-12 open funnel-shaped, dark orange to red flowers in summer and autumn. To 10m. There is a form ‘Thunbergii’, with shorter tubes, red trumpets and reflexed lobes, which may be the same as B. grandiflora Thunb. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Campsis radicans (L.) Seem.
Frost hardy, vigorous climber, usually climbing by aerial roots, with leaves to 10cm long composed of 7-11 toothed, ovate leaflets, and terminal cymes of 4-12 slender, tubular-trumpet-shaped orange to red flowers in summer and autumn. To 10m. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Clematis aristata R.Br. ex DC.
Macarthur’s ‘Clematis sp. nova (Argyle)’, an unidentified species or variety, is probably a form of Clematis aristata. This is a vigorous climber with ternate leaves, the leaflets usually simple, ovate and toothed, and white campanulate flowers. [FNSW].
Clematis azurea Hort.
Clematis azurea is figured in the Floricultural Cabinet: ‘This very handsome flowering species has been lately introduced in this country.’ [FC p.265 and 298/1836]. It is figured with bright blue flowers. This is probably Macarthur’s plant. It’s identity is not known but it is probably an early garden cultivar or hybrid, possibly a blue flowered form of Clematis viticella L.
Clematis campaniflora Brot.
Frost hardy, vigorous, deciduous climber with pinnate leaves, the leaflets in groups of three, bearing small, fragrant, lilac flowers in great profusion in terminal cymes in mid to late summer. To 6m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’.]
Clematis flammula L.
Semi-evergreen or deciduous climber with star-shaped, heavily-scented white flowers, 3cm across, freely produced in panicle-like cymes in summer and autumn, followed by silky seed heads. To 6m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Clematis florida Thunb. var. bicolor
Frost hardy, deciduous or semi-evergreen weak-growing climber with single flowers, 7-10cm across, with creamy white sepals and domed bosses of rich purple stamens in spring and summer. To 2.5m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Clematis florida Thunb. var. florepleno
See Clematis florida Thunb. var. bicolor for a description of the species. Florepleno is fully double with greenish-white flowers, to 12cm across. [RHSE].
Clematis florida Thunb. var. sieboldii
See Clematis florida Thunb. var. bicolor for a description of the species. Sieboldii is a hardy climber with purple and greenish-white flowers very similar, probably identical, to bicolor. [RHSD].
Clematis montana Buch.-Ham. ex DC.
Fully hardy, very vigorous climber with profuse single white flowers, 5cm across, with creamy yellow anthers, borne singly or in short cymes, in spring. Pink forms are also grown. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Clematis montana Buch.-Ham. ex DC. var. grandiflora
See Clematis montana Buch.-Ham. ex DC. Grandiflora is similar to the type but with much larger, white flowers. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Clematis virginiana L.
Fully hardy, deciduous, semi-woody climber with three, toothed or lobed leaflets and small, fragrant white flowers in many-flowered axillary panicles, to 15cm across. [RHSD, Hortus].
Clematis viticella campaniflora [Macarthur]
Clematis viticella L. x Clematis campaniflora Brot., a hybrid probably raised at Camden. I have found no specific description of this hybrid.
Clematis viticella L.
Fully hardy, deciduous, semi-woody climber with small, solitary, open bell-shaped, blue, purple or rose-red flowers, to 4cm across, in summer and autumn. To 4m. There are many garden varieties. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
