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Glite Dictionary
Clematis versicolor

Clematis versicolor

9.9
A climbing woody plant from the southern United States with purple or blue flowers and thick parts that curve back
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Clemátide versicolor
  • We identified the vine as Clematis versicolor by its distinctive leathery sepals.

Examples

  • The Clematis versicolor brightened the garden with its vibrant blue flowers.

  • Gardeners in the South often plant Clematis versicolor for its showy appearance.

  • The Clematis versicolor blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Have you seen a Clematis versicolor in bloom?

  • Gardeners in the South often plant Clematis versicolor because of its stunning purple flowers.

  • The Clematis versicolor adds a vibrant touch to any garden with its leathery, recurved sepals.

  • We recognized the climbing plant as Clematis versicolor due to its unique and colorful blooms.

Synonyms

leather flower
vsClematis versicolor
  • US
9.1

A climbing plant with thick, leather-like outer parts and bell-shaped blooms

emphasizes purple or blue flower color rather than bell shape

Surface Forms

Clematis versicolor singular
Clematis versicolors plural

Morphology

Clematis + versicolor

This is a botanical binomial combining the genus name 'Clematis' (a flowering vine) with the adjective 'versicolor' (displaying multiple colors), so the meaning is directly inferable as a clematis species with variable/multi-colored flowers. The noun+adjective composition is compositional and parallels naming patterns cross-linguistically, making the sense accessible to a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Clematis versicolor comes from old words that describe the plant: Clematis means 'vine' and versicolor means 'many-coloured' or 'changing colour'. So the name gives a clear picture of a vine with showy, changing-colour flowers, which fits the plant today.