Virgin's-bower

Title

Virgin's-bower

Authors

Ethan H. Freid

Scientific Name

Clematis bahamica (Kuntze) Britton

Description

Common Names

Virgin's-bower

Ranunculaceae

Clematis bahamica grows as a trailing vine. The compound leaves are arranged oppositely, with 3 or 5 leaflets, and up to 12 cm in length. The leaflets are ovate to elliptic with an acute leaf apex and entire or slightly toothed leaf margin.

The dioecious flowers are arranged in panicles. Staminate flowers have 5 sepals and numerous stamens with no functional ovaries. Carpellate flowers have 4 sepals and a series of staminodes (non-functional stamens). There are numerous unfused superior ovaries. Each ovary has a single locule and seed and becomes an achene at maturity. The achenes retain long styles (20-30 times the size of the ovary) that have silky hairs that aid in dispersal.

Clematis bahamica grows along the edges of Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Forest/Shrublands as well as Pine Woodlands.

Clematis bahamica is known to occur in the central and northern island groupings of the Bahamian Archipelago and is considered an endemic.

Clematis bahamica is not used medicinally in the Bahamas.