Fremont's Leather Flower
Scientific Name: Clematis fremontii S. Watson
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Usda Symbol | CLFR |
| Group | Dicot |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Growth Habits | Forb/herbSubshrub, |
| Native Locations | CLFR |
Plant Guide
Alternate Names
Fremont’s clematis, Fremont’s crowsfoot, Fremont’s leather-plant, leatherplant, rattleweed
Uses
Ornamental: Fremont’s leather flower has potential as a garden plant with its unique, showy, bell or urn-shaped flowers, ornamental fruit clusters, interesting texture and long period of attractiveness (Locklear 1991). It may be planted in large groups and is an attractive addition to rock gardens, border fronts, native plant gardens, prairies or meadows (Easyliving Wildflowers, 2008). Fremont’s leather flower combines well with other native herbaceous spring bloomers, such as pasque flower and prairie smoke (Hendrickson and Browning 2008).
Status
Described as one of our rarest plants, Fremont’s leather flower is protected in Missouri (FGCM, 2009). Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description
General: An herbaceous perennial, non-climbing, shrubby-type clematis, with broad ovate leathery green leaves to 5 inches long with parallel veins, appearing alternate, simple, and sessile, on erect stems 12 to 24 inches tall, arising from a stout caudex bearing many fibrous roots. Thick, non-spreading, often recurved sepals form an inch-long solitary bell-shaped purple to white flower nodding on a slender stalk atop the foliage. Blooming occurs late April into June, giving rise to large clusters of achenes each tipped with a long, curled style. The achenes and foliage turn brown in the fall and persist into the winter (Locklear, 1991; Missouri Botanical Garden, 2008). Distribution: Fremont’s leather flower has been found in 15 counties in north central Kansas and 3 adjoining counties in south central Nebraska according to herbarium records (McGregor and Barkley, 1977) and 7 counties in Missouri, 6 clustered in east central Missouri, and 1 located in Ozark County (Steyermark, 1963). The Missouri populations have been described as the distinct C. f. var. riehlii, though there is presently little support for this (Barkley, 1986). A recent discovery from Tennessee near Chattanooga in 2006 and a nearby Georgia population has been reported (TNPS, 2007). For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Fremont’s leather flower is native to limestone prairies and dolomite glades.
Adaptation
Fremont’s leather flower thrives in full sun on a lean alkaline soil (Barr 1983). Although this species naturally occurs on rocky prairie sites such as Fort Hays Limestone and Smoky Hill Chalk (Bare 1979), and on limestone glades in the eastern Ozark region (Easyliving Wildflowers, 2008), it has been found to be a hardy, very easy to grow, long lived garden plant given full sun to part shade and rich, well drained soil (Hendrickson and Browning 2008). This species is adapted to the 20 to 24 inch precipitation zone (Locklear, 1991).
Establishment
Seed may be sown following a three month cold-moist stratification period. The seeds are slow to germinate and may lay in the soil medium a month before germinating. Planting on well-drained soils is required for successful establishment (Locklear, 1991).
Pests and Potential Problems
None known , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Fremont's Leather Flower.
Environmental Concerns
Concerns
Concerns
None
Seeds and Plant Production
Plant Production
Plant Production
There are approximately 35,290 seeds per pound (USDA NRCS, 2009). Plants grown from seed take two to three years to reach maturity and begin flowering (Locklear, 1991). Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) none known Contact your local Natural Resources
Conservation
Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under “United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”
References
Bare, J. E. 1979. Wildflowers and Weeds of Kansas. The Regents Press of Kansas. Lawrence. 509p. Barkley, T. ed. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. 1986. Univ. Press of Kansas. Lawrence. 1392p. Barr, C. A. 1983. Jewels of the Plains. Univ. of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis. 236p. Easyliving Wildflowers. 2008. Easyliving Native Perennial wildflowers. Clematis fremontii Fremont’s Leather Flower plants & seed. http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/cle/fre.htm [online:cited 20 November 2008]. FGCM. 2009. Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri. http://gardencentral.org/fgcmissouri/part2activities/ [online:cited 31 March 2009]. Haddock, M. J. 2007. Kansas Wildflowers & Grasses. FREMONT’S CLEMATIS http://www.kswildflower.org/details.php?flowerID=204 [online:cited 12 March 2009]. Hendrickson, B. and S. Browning. 2008. In Bush Type Clematis: A Garden Treasure. http://www.dodge.unl.edu/newsitems/2008%20Hort%20News/08%20Bush%20Type%20Clematis [online:cited 20 November 2008]. Locklear, J. H. 1991. Plant Profiles. Clematis fremontii. The Public Garden. J. Am. Assoc. Bot. Gard. Arbor. Vol. 6 (3) pg 39-40. McGregor R. L., Coord. and T. M. Barkley, Ed. 1977. Atlas of the Flora of the Great Plains. The Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames. Missouri Botanical Garden. 2008. Clematis fremontii. Kemper Center for Home Gardening. Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.mobot.org/GARDENINGHELP/PLANTFINDER/Plant.asp?Code=M160 [online:cited 20 November 2008]. Steyermark, J. 1963. Flora of Missouri. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, Iowa. 1728p. TNPS. 2007. Native Plant of the Month. Fremont’s Leatherflower. Tennessee Native Plant Society. http://www.tnps.org/March_2007.html [online:cited 20 November 2008]. USDA NRCS. 2009. Manhattan Plant Materials Center Annual Technical Report. Salina, Kansas.
Fact Sheet
Alternate Names
Fremont’s clematis, Fremont’s crowsfoot, Fremont’s leather-plant, leatherplant, rattleweed , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Fremont's Leather Flower.
Uses
Ornamental: Fremont’s leather flower has potential as a garden plant with its unique, showy, bell or urn-shaped flowers, ornamental fruit clusters, interesting texture and long period of attractiveness. It may be planted in large groups and is an attractive addition to rock gardens, border fronts, native plant gardens, prairies or meadows. Fremont’s leather flower combines well with other native herbaceous spring bloomers, such as pasque flower and prairie smoke. The dried plants, with fruit clusters and foliage intact have potential for dried arrangements.
Status
CAUTION!! Described as one of our rarest plants, Fremont’s leather flower is protected in Missouri. Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s Plant Materials current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description and Adaptation
Adaptation
Adaptation
An herbaceous perennial, non-climbing, shrubby-type clematis, with broad ovate leathery green leaves to 5 inches long with parallel veins, appearing alternate, simple, and sessile, on erect stems 12 to 18 inches tall, arising from a stout caudex bearing many fibrous roots. Thick, non-spreading, often recurved sepals form an inch-long solitary bell-shaped purple to white flower nodding on a slender stalk atop the foliage. Blooming occurs late April into June, giving rise to large clusters of achenes each tipped with a long, curled style. The achenes and foliage turn brown in the fall and persist into the winter. Large cluster of achenes Mike Haddock, Kansas State University Fremont’s leather flower thrives in full sun on a lean alkaline soil. Although this species naturally occurs on rocky prairie sites such as Fort Hays Limestone and Smoky Hill Chalk, and on limestone glades in the eastern Ozark region, it has been found to be a hardy, very easy to grow, long lived garden plant given full sun to part shade and rich, well drained soil. This species is adapted to the 20 to 24 inch precipitation zone. Distribution: Fremont’s leather flower is limited in distribution to north central Kansas, south central Nebraska and the eastern Ozark region of Missouri. A recent discovery from Tennessee near Chattanooga in 2006 and a nearby Georgia population has been reported. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Fremont’s leather flower is native to limestone prairies and dolomite glades.
Establishment
Seed may be sown following a three month cold-moist stratification period. The seeds are slow to germinate and may lay in the soil medium a month before germinating.
Pests and Potential Problems
None known
Environmental Concerns
None
Seeds and Plant Production
Plant Production
Plant Production
Production
Production
There are approximately 35,290 seeds per pound. Plants grown from seed take two to three years to reach maturity and begin flowering. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) none known Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under “United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”
Prepared By and Species Coordinator
Species Coordinator
Species Coordinator
John M. Row, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Manhattan, Kansas