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Clematis virginiana

Virginia Bower · Virginia Clematis · Virginia Virgin's-bower · Devil's Darning Needles

Family RanunculaceaeGenus Clematis

Masses of small white flowers with spreading stamens along dark red stems, among toothed leaves
FlowerUser:SB_JohnnyCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Ground Cover, Perennial, VineExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
climberPlants of the World Online
Height
15-20 ft4.6-6.1 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
3-6 ft0.9-1.8 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
WhitePLANTS Database
Blooms
FallExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Canada, lower 48 statesPLANTS Database
Hardiness zones
6-8Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Dappled Sunlight; Deep shade; Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
High Organic MatterExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
5.0-6.8PLANTS Database
Moisture
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasional FloodingExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Drought tolerance: MediumPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

98% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Clematis p. 119Public domain
Show the original text
Clematis (Ranunculaceae). Light and/or GA-3 are required for the germination of some species. Although a number of species germ. significantly in the dark, light and GA-3 needs to be tried on all species. Multicycle patterns were common and some species germ. largely at 40. The seeds of all species are designed to be dispersed by wind so that it was presumed that DS would be tolerated. This was supported by the data for seeds DS 6 m, however seeds of C. virginiana requires light or GA-3. Either fresh seeds or seeds DS 6 m at 70 germ. 70L(98% in 2nd w), 70D GA-3(91% in 2nd w), and 70D-40-70D(none). A prior 3 m at 40 lowered the percent germination. Seeds DS at 70 for 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Clematis p. 119. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

91% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Clematis p. 119Public domain
Show the original text
Clematis (Ranunculaceae). Light and/or GA-3 are required for the germination of some species. Although a number of species germ. significantly in the dark, light and GA-3 needs to be tried on all species. Multicycle patterns were common and some species germ. largely at 40. The seeds of all species are designed to be dispersed by wind so that it was presumed that DS would be tolerated. This was supported by the data for seeds DS 6 m, however seeds of C. virginiana requires light or GA-3. Either fresh seeds or seeds DS 6 m at 70 germ. 70L(98% in 2nd w), 70D GA-3(91% in 2nd w), and 70D-40-70D(none). A prior 3 m at 40 lowered the percent germination. Seeds DS at 70 for 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Clematis p. 119. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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