Common Name: Leather Flower, Vasevine, American Bells

Part sun to light shade; medium moisture level; rich, well-drained soil; prefers circumneutral pH.

8-12 feet height; blooms in summer; bell-shaped flowers which are pale lavender to reddish purple; brown seeds.

Growth Rate:  Slow as a young plant

Maintenance:  Can be coaxed to weave through woody shrubs such as rhododendrons, which looks quite attractive.

Propagation:  ?

Native Region:  East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee

Low, woody vine with attractive flowers and seeds that have long silky tails, a characteristic of the Clematis species.  Flowers are thick and leathery, resembling bells or upturned vases.  Easy to grow, adaptable, and non-invasive.  Grows its best in filtered shade and moist, well drained soils.  Can tolerate full sun in a wetter location.  It can be left to ramble, forming a loose, low-growing thicket or trained up a support.  Attracts butterflies.