Bluebill

Description

Clematis pitcheri is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name bluebill. It is a herbaceous, perennial vine found in the south-central United States and northern Mexico. It grows in wooded, rocky outcrops, woodland margins, bluffs, and disturbed habitats. Leaves are variable, oppositely arranged along the stems, and can be simple or compound. Clematis is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids have been popular among gardeners, beginning with Clematis × jackmanii, a garden standby since 1862; more hybrid cultivars are being produced constantly. They are mainly of Chinese and Japanese origin. Most species are known as clematis in English, while some are also known as traveller's joy, a name invented for the sole British native, C. vitalba, by the herbalist John Gerard; virgin's bower for C. terniflora, C. virginiana, and C. viticella; old man's beard, applied to several with prominent seedheads; leather flower for those with fleshy petals; or vase vine for the North American Clematis viorna.