Clematis orientalis L., Sp. Pl. 543 1753. (syn: Clematis albida KIotzsch; Clematis aurea A. Nelson & Macbride; Clematis flava DC.; Clematis glauca Claus; Clematis graveolens Hook.; Clematis hysudrica Munro ex Hook. fil. & Thomson; Clematis longecaudata Ledeb.; Clematis parvifolia Edgew.; Clematis songarica Siev. ex Steud.; Clematitis flava Moench ; Meclatis orientalis (L.) Spach ; Viticella orientalis (L.) W.A. Weber);

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Fwd: Clematis orientalis : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (2)
Recently identified a set of photos taken by Marie Meister in Ladakh. She has kindly agreed for any that I consider will enhance the eFI site to be posted.
I begin with what I consider is the third species of Clematis found in Ladakh:  Clematis orientalis.
Note the small, delicate flowers compared to C.ladakhiana and C.tangutica and its linear leaflets.
These images should provide a useful comparison and hopefully enable others to locate and photograph other specimens of this species, which can be posted to help improve the understanding of CLEMATIS ORIENTALIS and related species.
Pity her photos did not show good images of foliage – leaves are so often neglected/ignored, as I was guilty of in the past.

In my recent posting of two images of C.orientalis from Ladakh, I neglected to mention that in addition to this species often having smaller flowers than the other species in Ladakh the main features to note are the reflexed sepals (though they can begin as spreading eventually becoming reflexed) and the glaucous lobed or unlobed leaflets.
Dickore & Klimes recognise a Clematis orientalis var. tenuifolia from Ladakh (in addition to C.orientalis which presumably means var. orientalis) – “tenuifolia” meaning narrow. A var. robusta with rather larger flowers borne in several-tiered inflorescences is know but only from Eastern Afghanistan. Clematis orientalis is also found in Turkey and Iran.

As to Clematis tibetana proper, this is found in Nepal. The authors of ‘Flora of Mustang’ (2008) recognised a subspecies brevipes as a new subspecies but I do not know if this has been accepted. C.tibetana var. vernayi (or subspecies vernayi) which Grey-Wilson called it being given as a synonym. This taxon is found on rocky slopes and shrubberies, margins of crop fields and waste places at path-sides in Mustang district.  I have seen it in many places in the Upper Kali Gandaki.  It is the commonest Clematis in Upper Mustang.


Clematis orientalis : 3 posts by 2 authors.
Are the images in the efi matching ?

https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix/attach/cc6b9a380f3da9d6/IMG_1442.jpg?part=0.3&authuser=0&view=1
https://08511630493324166816.googlegroups.com/attach/cc6b9a380f3da9d6/IMG_1414.jpg?part=0.5&view=1&vt=ANaJVrEqeXKNyECLjUxzpRswMOr-KVdZI8CkYiUuCkA-V9JIR-ydWfZm1eCDW8zMwj_ahWkbjEAvM-4xS7JRyxDovfp2qOl-bHg82DB20ywuKPdgekA4Ou0
https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix/attach/cc6b9a380f3da9d6/IMG_1411.jpg?part=0.2&authuser=0&view=1
https://08511630493324166816.googlegroups.com/attach/cc6b9a380f3da9d6/IMG_1408.jpg?part=0.1&view=1&vt=ANaJVrFXiz42OT8X9833hxKcyoMjZadQSR4El1oE9cYAFDkxL9xsqeBP-nt4pdEi2nrUCCMyRTXldSw4nCoocNyGXovDgG4rcnUR6k0EyS6-1I4e8GDHTlE
https://08511630493324166816.googlegroups.com/attach/cc6b9a380f3da9d6/IMG_1443.jpg?part=0.4&view=1&vt=ANaJVrFlVd-rmLciWfWXSlJc9xof7H4uOcxEkfdKG0z_cbU02ewpvQFQyuL9mF2RHTII01NJ4oyVWW7I8HiBHsDRJ8jzf92Ta24x88dkuMIVOcbTigFHy5M
Clematis ladakhiana?? 290911-PKA1: Requesting you all to kindly validate this ID…
Date/Time: 14-09-2011/ 10:00AM
Location: Mahe Bridge, Ladakh (@ the bank of Indus River).
Habitat: Wild
Plant Habit: Climbing Shrub
Bot. name: ???


To me Clematis tibetana


The two are really close. Perhaps a reliable key should help.


This is not C.ladakhianaThe flowers seem to match C.tangutica but the foliage does not – though I have seen other images showing some foliage similar to this whilst some parts had typical serrate-edged leaflets.  C.tangutica is recorded from Ladakh. See my recent comments about the C.orientalis complex.


The link to the FOI site show a plant which is not Clematis ladakhiana – the flowers match C.tangutica but the foliage does not.


This is the thread giving … analysis regarding “Clematis orientalis species complex based upon the work of Dr Grey-Wilson” in the end.


I guess more close to Clematis orientalis L.


https://08511630493324166816.googlegroups.com/attach/3b2fb3547f9931b7/Clematis%20ladakhiana.JPG?part=0.1&view=1&vt=ANaJVrFz8t1FdXMZ7nN3iAb7kc08ny4rUOI415igV_dAaNJ_1cWQr99PKCNcDqrwS85qKYEbDILK_E9ZnnWeTKy8qOzr8f1ssmkkRWT4UPgv2B4-FxVxcaQ

Ranunculaceae Week (mixed thread): Sending photo of Clematis ladakhiana

Clematis ladakhiana Grey – Wilson in Kew Bull. 44: 49. 1989; Rau in Sharma et al., Fl. India 1: 68. 1993; Uniyal in Singh et al., Fl. Jammu  Kashmir 1: 395. 2002. C. orientalis L. var. acutifolia Hook. f. & Thoms., Fl. Ind. 9. 1855 & in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 5. 1872. C. orientalis L. var. longicaudata sensu Mukherjee in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 1: 139. 1959, non Ledeb.
Shrubs, climbers; stems glabrous – glaberescent, ridged, purplish – brownish. Leaves pinnate with 3 – 4 leaflets; leaflets narrow – lanceolate, 0.20 – 0.50 x 0.2 – 1.0 cm, entire or with 1 or 2 lobes at base, acute, slightly pubescent above, glabrous beneath, glaucous. Inflorescence axillary, in groups of 3 – 5 flowers. Flowers large, yellow or orange yellow; pedicels 1.5 – 3.0 cm long, glabrous – subglabrous, densely pubescent when young, ridged. Petals absent. Sepals 4, lanceolate – elliptic, 1.8 – 2.5 x 0.5 – 0.9 cm, acute – acuminate, glabrous – subglabrous outside, pubescent along the margin, densely pubescent inside, spreading. Filaments 0.6 – 0.8 cm long, dilated, tapering narrowly in upper portion, reddish – purple. Pistil feathery, stylar beak 0.1-0.2 cm long.
Fl. & Fr.: July – September.
Frequent, on rocky slopes, Chilling village, Hemis National Park, Ladakh
Distrib.: India: Jammu & Kashmir & Himachal Pradesh; Pakistan.


The distant photo makes it difficult to be sure but this does not match well with Clematis ladakhiana – appears closer to C.tangutica. Really important to have close-up images of flowers and foliage on future occasions.  See my recent comments on the Clematis orientalis complex.


Looks more close to Clematis orientalis L.