Clematis japonica var. japonica ("Hanshozuru")

Japanese name: ハンショウヅル （半鐘蔓）
Scientific name: Clematis japonica var. japonica

[Overview]
A deciduous climbing woody plant found at forest edges.
The stems are purplish brown.
The leaves are opposite and once ternately compound.
The leaflets are ovate, 3–10 cm long and 2–6 cm wide, with pointed tips and coarse serrations on the margins.
The leaf stalk is 4–10 cm long.
The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils of the current year's branches and face downward.
The flowers are bell-shaped, 2–3 cm across, and reddish purple, with 4 conspicuous petal-like sepals.
The sepals are elliptic, 2.5–3.5 cm long and 0.6–1 cm wide, with pointed, recurved tips and appressed hairs on the margins.
The flower stalk is 6–12 cm long.
The fruit is an achene 6 mm long.
The long style of the pistil remains on the fruit and becomes feathery with dense hairs.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
Take cuttings from new vines that grew after flowering, cutting them when the surface becomes firm.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, well-ventilated place with fertile soil.
Avoid places where strong afternoon sun hits the base of the plant, and dry places.
It is also somewhat sensitive to the heat and humidity of midsummer, so move potted plants to a cool, airy place in partial shade.
It dislikes dryness, so take care not to let it dry out too much, and water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
Place organic fertilizer on the soil after flowering and in autumn.
The vines grow vigorously, so train them onto a support or similar.
Flower buds form on the new shoots, and heavy pruning after autumn will prevent flowering the following year, so avoid pruning as much as possible or limit it to light pruning that tidies the branch tips.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)