Clematis ochotensis: The Half-Clock Clematis

The Clematis ochotensis, commonly referred to as the Half-Clock Clematis, is a perennial woody vine in the Ranunculaceae family. Its stem is cylindrical, smooth, and hairless. The current year’s branches and leaf axils retain bud scales, which are lanceolate with a pointed tip and densely covered with white soft hairs.

The small leaves range from narrow ovate-lanceolate to ovate-elliptical, with a bluntly pointed tip and coarse teeth on the upper edges. The leaves have short stalks.

Flowers, bell-shaped, emerge singly atop the current year’s branches, with pale blue sepals that are oblong-elliptical to narrowly ovate.

The stamens have evolved into spoon-shaped forms, shorter than their vestigial counterparts, with filaments linear yet broader in the middle, hairy along the edges, and anthers facing inward.

The fruit is an inverted ovate, reddish-brown in color. It is native to China but can also be found in Japan and the Far Eastern regions of Russia, thriving at altitudes between 600-1200 meters in valleys, along forest edges, and in shrubs. It flourishes on slopes and beneath forests.

With its large and beautiful flowers, it is cultivated for ornamental purposes and can also be used for pergolas or as a climbing plant on fences.

Morphological Features:

This perennial woody vine has a smooth, hairless, cylindrical stem. Young stems are light yellow-green, turning pale brown to purplish-red as they age. The base of the current year’s branches and the leaf axils bear persistent bud scales.

These scales are lanceolate, 5-7 mm in length, 2-3 mm in width, with a pointed tip and densely covered in white soft hairs initially, becoming hairless over time, with their inner surface always devoid of hairs.

Flowers, which are bell-shaped and measure 3-3.5 cm in diameter, grow singly atop the current year’s branches. They boast 4 pale blue sepals, oblong-elliptical to narrowly ovate, 2.2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, nearly hairless on both surfaces but with edges densely covered in white velvety hairs.

The stamens have transformed into spoon-shaped strips, about half the length of the sepals or even shorter, with a rounded tip, 2-4 mm wide, with the outer edges covered in white velvety hairs, and hairless inside.

The actual stamens are shorter than the vestigial ones, with linear filaments broader in the middle, hairy-edged, and anthers facing inwards. There are 30-50 carpels, each covered in soft hairs.

The fruits are inverted ovate, measuring 4-5 mm in length and 3-4 mm in width, reddish-brown with a hint of pale yellow soft hair, and persistent styles reaching 4-4.5 cm in length. The blooming season is from May to June, with the fruiting season from July to August.

Growth Environment:

The Clematis is cold-resistant (with stems and roots able to withstand temperatures as low as -10°C), drought-tolerant, and prefers sunlight.

However, it cannot endure intense heat and direct sunlight. It thrives in deep, fertile, well-draining alkaline loamy soil and light sandy loam. The roots are yellowish-brown and fleshy, intolerant of waterlogging.

Distribution Range:

The plant can be found in the northern parts of Shanxi and Hebei, the eastern part of Jilin, and Heilongjiang province in China. It also grows in Japan and the Far Eastern regions of Russia, flourishing at altitudes between 600-1200 meters in valleys, alongside forests, and in shrubs.

Main Value:

Ornamental:

This plant’s branches and leaves are lush, with large and vibrant flowers that come in various shapes, making it valuable for horticultural purposes. Its high aesthetic appeal and excellent climbing characteristics make it suitable for vertical greening.

It can cover bare walls, fences, or rocky surfaces, effectively increasing urban green spaces, enhancing greenery, and elevating the urban greening standard.

Additionally, it possesses significant medicinal value. Its primary active components include triterpenoid saponins, predominantly derived from oleanolic acid or hederagenin, and protopine.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is frequently utilized as a diuretic, a remedy for urinary issues, and as a pain-relieving agent.