Clematis atragene alpina Ocean Pearl

The Alpine Clematis 'Ocean Pearl' is an exceptional variety of Alpine Clematis with its flowering in small regular or tousled pompoms whose colour varies depending on the flowers. Surrounded by 4 blue sepals is a well-double heart that can be either creamy yellow or powdery lavender blue. This lovely novelty, still rare in France, is a strong and hardy plant, of modest size, which blooms in early spring and then adorns itself with a pretty silvery and feathery fruiting until summer. It is a climber that often prefers to run on the plants around it: it makes an excellent companion for many flowering shrubs.

Clematis are a genus of the Ranunculaceae family. It includes about 30 species of herbaceous perennials with woody stems and climbing plants, semi-woody, evergreen or deciduous. They are found in both hemispheres, notably in Europe, the Himalayas, China, Australia, North and Central America.

The Clematis 'Ocean Pearl' is a cultivar derived from Clematis alpina (Clematis Atragene section), introduced to England around 2005. This seedling of the 'Frankie' variety is the only variety in this category to produce a very double flowering. It belongs to Group 1 (early-flowering clematis) of Clematis, which has 3 groups. It is a semi-woody and climbing perennial plant, which will reach 2.50m (8ft) to 3m (10ft) in height, with a spread of 1m (3ft). The groups are defined based on cultivation requirements.

The 'Ocean Pearl' clematis bears trailing flowers, 5-8 cm (2-3in) in diameter, at the axils of the leaves, on the shoots of the previous year. They blossom from April onwards if the weather is mild. The bisexual flowers are solitary. They do not have petals but have 4 long tapering and pointed sepals. In the center of certain corollas are numerous pale yellow staminodes shorter than the sepals (sterile stamens with a pompon-like appearance), or lavender blue staminodes of variable size giving the flower a slightly bristly aspect. The flowering is followed by decorative, silvery-gray feathery fruits. The leaves, of a fairly light green colour, sometimes opposite, sometimes alternate, glabrous, are simple, tripalmate, with irregularly cut edges. This clematis clings to the support or host plant through petioles transformed into tendrils.

The lavender pompoms of this clematis go wonderfully well with yellow, white or pink blooms as well as purple foliage. As it likes to weave through shrubs, it can be planted near a Kerria japonica with yellow pompoms, a Spiraea Van Houttei, a pink-flowered Prunus, or an ornamental apple tree, for example. It will eagerly weave through the purple foliage of a Cotinus Royal Purple, a purple hazelnut, a black elderberry.

The name "clematis" comes from the Greek "klema" = vine stem, because its old stems have a woody and twisted appearance with corky exfoliations. Half a dozen spontaneous clematis grow in France (not counting those cultivated in gardens). Among them, the Alpine Clematis (or Atragene des Alpes), and the Traveller's Joy (Clematis vitalba), whose fresh leaves are very vesicant; indeed, by simple contact, when crushed, "burns" appear on the skin. In the past, professional beggars rubbed the Traveller's Joy on their wounds to create superficial and extensive ulcers, the goal being to elicit sympathy from donors.