Climbing or sprawling semi-woody vine. Stems usually glabrous. Leaves usually pinnately compound. Leaflets usually 5, oval, strongly reticulate, 3-7 cm (1.2-2.8 in) long. Inflorescence axillary, peduncles with two simple bracts at base. Sepals purple to blue with greenish tips, slightly recurved, 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in) long. Styles very plumose, persistent, about 2.5 cm (1 in) long.
Distribution: Native to western Kentucky and Tennessee westward to Missouri, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
Habitat: Rocky woods and bluffs.
NWI status: none
Comment: Clematis is a name given by Dioscorides to some slender climbing plant; versicolor means variously-colored.
Distribution in Oklahoma: 
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Last update: 9/9/99
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