Description
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leaved Clematis) is a woody vine.
Potentially Misidentified Species - Clematis virginiana is a native terrestrial species but, like C. terniflora, it occurs on riparian margins.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Ranunculales | Ranunculaceae | Clematis |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Established | Expanding | Introduced | Boundary Resident | Europe | East Asia | Ornamental(Garden Escape) |
History of Spread
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leafed Clematis), native to Asia, was apparently introduced to MD in colonial times as an ornamental. These herbarium specimens could have been taken from gardens (Brown et al. 1987). It was not recorded from the wild by Gray (1848) or Robinson and Fernald (1908), but Fernald (1950) describes it as an occasional escape ranging from MA to VA. Its current range is FL to NH and westward to NE and TX (United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998).
Erlanson (1925) reported Clematis terniflora as 'an escape along roadside, Williamsburg', in 1921. Fernald (1939) found it 'abundant along the James from City Point to Jordan Point', and Brown and Brown (1972) describe it as 'local in Washington-Baltimore area' . Strong and Kelloff (1994) found it 'occasional', twining over vegetation in upper parts of oligohaline Brent Marsh, Potomac River. It is abundant in places in the marsh and swamp of Accokeek Creek; Piscataway Park; (Potomac River); mostly over stream bank vegetation, but also rooted in tidal mud (P. Fofonoff 1996 personal observation). This vine is penetrating into tidal Pocomoke Swamp (MD-VA), growing on trees, and frequently rooting in mud on the trunks above the water-line. C. ternifolia is a terrestrial plant, but can penetrate into marshes and swamps growing on trees and shrubs (Sipple 1995).
History References -Brown et al. 1987; Brown and Brown 1972; Fernald 1939; Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gray 1848; Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998; Robinson and Fernald 1908; Sipple 1995; Strong and Kelloff 1994;
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leafed Clematis) is widely cultivated as an ornamental vine. It probably has few or no impacts on the Bay proper, but it is spreading (Sipple 1995), and could have future aesthetic impacts on waterfront property and recreation on tidal fresh tributaries. C. terniflora is listed as an invasive plant in MD (Cooley 1993).
References- Cooley 1993; Sipple 1995
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leafed Clematis) is widely cultivated as an ornamental vine. It probably has few or no impacts in estuaries proper, but it is spreading in watersheds in the eastern US and could have future aesthetic impacts on waterfront property and recreation on tidal fresh tributaries. C. terniflora is listed as an invasive plant in MD (Cooley 1993), TN (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2002), and CT (Mehroff 1999).
References- Cooley 1993; Sipple 1995; Mehroff 1999
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leafed Clematis), a rapidly growing vine, is common in disturbed uplands, and the edges of wetlands.
Competition, Habitat Change - C. terniflora can overgrow vegetation on marsh edges and river banks (Fernald 1939; Strong and Kelloff 1994) and penetrates into the tidal Pocomoke Swamp MD-VA (Sipple 1995). At Dyke Marsh, Alexandria VA, it occurs with native C. virginiana and overgrows many shrubs at the edge of the upper intertidal (Fofonoff personal observations 1996). This plant was included on a list of invasive plants in MD (Cooley 1993).
References- Cooley 1993; Fernald 1939; Sipple 1995; Strong and Kelloff 1994
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Clematis terniflora (Yam-Leafed Clematis) can overgrow exotic as well as native shrubs on riverbanks and the edges of tidal marshes. It was seen covering stalks of Phragmites australis in Dyke Marsh, Alexandria VA (Fofonoff, personal observation). It is a potential competitor with other exotic vines, such as Lonicera japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) and Polygonum perfoliatum (Mile-a-Minute).
References
Brown, M. L.; Brown, R. G. (1972) Woody plants of Maryland., , College Park. Pp.Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Brown, Melvin L.; Reveal, J. L; Broome, C. R.; Frick, George F. (1987) Comments on the vegetation of colonial Maryland, Huntia 7: 247-283
Cooley, Gene (1993) Invasive exotic plants that threaten native species and natural habitats in Maryland., , Annapolis MD. Pp.
Erlanson, Eileen (1924) The flora of the Peninsula of Virginia, Papers of the Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 4: 115-182
Fernald, M. L. (1939) Last survivors in the flora of tidewater Virginia, Rhodora 41: 465-504
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1848) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , Boston. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
1999 List of non-native invasive vascular plants in Connecticut.. http://www.eeb.uconn.edu/collections/herbarium/herbariumother/ilist99.html
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.
Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln; Fernald, Merrit L. (1908) Gray's New Manual of Botany., , New York. Pp.
1995 Introduced plants in Chesapeake Bay, letters and telephone conversations.
Strong, Mark T.; Kelloff, Carol L. (1994) Intertidal vascular plants of Brent Marsh, Potomac River, Stafford County, Virginia, Castanea 59: 354-366