Clematis smilacifolia
Wallich in Asiat. Res. 13: 402. 1820; Hook. f. & Thomson
in Fl. Brit. India 1: 3. 1872. C. loureiriana auct. non DC.; Merr. in Trans. Amer. Phil.
Soc., n.s. 24(2): 154. 1935, p. p.
Tall extensive woody climbers; branches stout, glabrous, closely sulcate, purplish or
puberulous particularly at nodes and petioles. Leaves simple or sometimes 1 - 3-foliolate,
broadly ovate or elliptic-ovate, broadly cordate or rounded at base, entire or slightly
serrate, subacute or mucronate or rarely obtuse at apex, 6 -
18 x 1.8 -
14 cm, subcoriaceous, glabrous, often purplish beneath; veins usually 7 -
9, distinctly raised beneath;
upper leaves smaller, narrower and cuneate at base; petioles 2 -
15 cm long, flattened at
base, often twining above, ribbed, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary or terminal 3-many-flowered, trichotomously branched panicles; peduncles 4 -
5 cm long, sulcate, thinly dark brownish hairy; bracts foliaceous, linear, elliptic-lanceolate or spathulate, 15 -
2 x 05
cm, sparsely hairy on both surfaces; pedicels 3 - 16 cm long, ribbed, puberulous.
Flowers ca 3.5 cm across, cream-white or purplish brown. Sepals 4, sometimes 5 -
8,
spreading, ovate, oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute to subacute, 1.6 -
2 x 0.4 -
0.5
cm, becoming reflexed, ribbed, greenish brown and densely brown tomentose outside,
pale purple and subglabrous inside. Filaments linear, flat, 4 -
15 x ca 0.5 mm, white,
glabrous; anthers 1 - 6.5 mm long, often twisted; connectives elongated into an acuminate
ca 2 mm long point. Achenes elliptic-ovate to obovate or suborbicular, flat, asymmetric,
4 -
11 x 3 -
5 mm, hairy, broadly margined, with up to 7cm long feathery tails.
Notes. Merril (l.c.) reduced C. smilacifolia Wallich to C. loureiriana DC. However, Eichler (quoted by Kapoor in Bull. Natl. Bot. Gard. Lucknow 78: 50. 1962) states that these two species are quite distinct and C. loureiriana DC. does not occur in India.
Notes. Merril (l.c.) reduced C. smilacifolia Wallich to C. loureiriana DC. However, Eichler (quoted by Kapoor in Bull. Natl. Bot. Gard. Lucknow 78: 50. 1962) states that these two species are quite distinct and C. loureiriana DC. does not occur in India.
KEY TO THE SUBSPECIES
| 1a. Anthers 4 - 6.5 mm long; connectives produced for less than 0.5 mm beyond anther-thecae; achenes broadly ovate or almost orbicular, 4 - 6 mm long | 25.1. andamanica |
| b. Anthers 1 - 4 mm long; connectives produced for 0.5 - 2 mm beyond anther-thecae; achenes elliptic-ovate or obovate, 6 - 11 mm long | 25.2. smilacifolia |
