Perennial climbing vines, with opposite petioled compound leaves, and large showy pe-duncled flowers, solitary in the axils, or at the ends of the branches. Sepals very large, spreading, petaloid, mostly membranous and prominently veined. Petals small, spatulate. Stamens very numerous, the outer ones usually with broadened filaments. Styles long, persistent, plumose. [Ancient Greek name for some vine.]

About 5 species, natives of the north temperate zone. In addition to the following, another occurs in the Rocky Mountains and one in northwestern North America. Type species: Atragene alpina L.

1. Atragene Americàna Sims. Purple Virgin's Bower

Fig. 1954

A. americana Sims, Bot. Mag. pl. 887. 1806. Clematis verticillaris DC. Syst. 1: 166. 1818.

A trailing or partly climbing, somewhat woody, nearly glabrous vine. Leaves trifolio-late; leaflets thin, ovate, acute, toothed or entire, more or less cordate; petioles and petio-lules slender; flowers purplish blue, 2'-4' broad when expanded; sepals 4, thin and translucent, strongly veined, silky along the margins and the veins; petals spatulate, 6"-9" long; persistent styles plumose throughout, about 2' long.

Rocky woodlands and thickets, Hudson Bay to Manitoba, Connecticut, Virginia and Minnesota. Ascends to 3000 ft. in the Catskills. Mountain-or Whorl-leaved-clematis. May-June.