Plants of the Week: October 15

Clematis tibetana

The Scott Arboretum has a multitude of species and cultivated varieties of Clematis. One of which, the simple and elegant species Clematis tibetana, found growing on the Pearson Hall stair rail captured my attention.  The flower is pendulous with four, thick, green-yellow petals and bears a likeness in form and color to Ranunculus as well as others of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. The leaves are ornately dissected, filigran, and glabrous blue-green. The vine is native to Nepal and China and hardy to zones 6-9 and definitely a delightful and delicate addition to a full-sun trellis. photo credit: R. Robert

Stachys byzantina ‘Helene von Stein’

Small mounds of velvety, soft foliage sit in contrast to the large, engraved, Swarthmore rock in the newly installed gravel garden at the small entrance roundabout. Stachys byzantina ‘Helene von Stein’, purportedly synonymous with the commonly seen cultivar ‘Big Ears’, is a selection with large leaves that are densely covered in silky trichomes, giving them a wooly look. Stachys byzantina is a middle east native mint relative of the family Lamiaceae. The cultivated selection boasts a better quality of foliage and a desirably diminished flowering habit.  photo credit: J. Bickel

Iris domestica

Once suggested to be an errant, temperate, member of the predominantly tropical orchid genus Vanilla, as well as many other erroneous designations, Iris domestica has undergone an astounding number of taxonomic changes. Recent studies in genetics have revealed that I. domestica is in fact much closer to other species in the genus Iris than its morphology and botanists seem to have suggested. Commonly called the blackberry lily due to its shiny black seeds that persist in the dehiscent seed pods, I. domestica is a Himalayan and Chinese native perennial with a bright orange flower flecked with red freckles. The flower stalks appear above flat fans of foliage in the Terry Shane Teaching Garden. photo credit: J. Bickel