Clematis morefieldii

Family:RANUNCULACEAE
Species:Clematis morefieldii Kral ex B.R. Keener
Common Name:Morefield's Leather Flower; Huntsville Vasevine
Habitat:Calcareous woodlands usually on dry to slightly mesic slopes.
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Vine
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:

Morefield's Leather Flower is a native herbaceous vine in the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is restricted to a small area in Alabama and Tennessee near Huntsville and NW Georgia, with the total population estimated at less than 50 occurrences. Morefield's Leather Flower grows in open woodlands among limestone boulders, on limestone bluffs, and in open red cedar-hardwood forests. It typically occurs on south and southwest facing slopes between 800 to 1700 feet in elevation. It is a perennial with stems up to 15 feet in length. The stems are slightly woody towards the base and sprawl or climb by tendrils over other vegetation. The stems are pubescent with cobwebby like hairs. Leaves are petiolate, opposite, and pinnately compound with 4-10 leaflets and a terminal tendril. The leaflets are ovate in outline, lobed or un-lobed, thin in texture, and silky pubescent on the lower surface. Flowers are produced from the axils of the leaves in 1-5 flowered inflorescences during the summer months. The pedicel/peduncle has 2 small bracts near its base. Petals are absent and the sepals form an urn-shape flower. The sepals are thick in texture, silky pubescent, not crispate, and pink fading to white or green in color. The tips of the sepals are reflexed. The fruit is a silky pubescent achene with a long beak. This species was first collected in 1982 by a 21-year-old botany student named James Morefield, and Dr. Robert Kral of Vanderbilt University described it as a new species in 1987. Morefield's Leather Flower is listed as an S2 species in Alabama (typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state), and globally as a G2 species (imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout

Taxonomic Notes:
  • When this species was first published by Kral in 1992, he cited type specimens from multiple gatherings which unfortunately invalidated the new taxon name. When the mistake was discovered several years later, a new name could have been published or the original name could be validated.  In order maintain conservation efforts, Keener (2017) elected to use the same epithet ("morefieldii") proposed by Kral, validating the taxon.  Because of this, the publication date is 2017
  • Listed as Federally Endangered as of 20 May 1992.
Status:Native, Endangered-US, S2 (State Rank), G2 (Global Rank)
References: Kral, R. 1987. A new “viorna” Clematis from northern Alabama. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 74: 665-669.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyRANUNCULACEAE - Buttercup/Crowfoot family
Genus Clematis
Species Clematis morefieldii Kral ex B.R. Keener - Morefield's Leather Flower; Huntsville Vasevine

Citation

Citation Clematis morefieldii Kral ex B.R. Keener, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 11(2): 320. 2017.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: ALABAMA: Madison Co.: [redacted.] 17 June 1983. R. Kral 70176. (holotype MO; isotypes ALU, AUA, BM, CM, DOV, DUR, EKY, F, FLAS, FSU, GA, GH, ILL, ISC, K, LAF, MICH, MISSA, MO, NCU, NY, OS, PAS, RSA, SMU, TENN, TEX, UC, US, VDB, VSC, WAT, WILLI).

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Jackson, Madison

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, UNA

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1986 - 1986

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
ALNHS00007356 Madison 10 JUL 2019 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#4657
ALNHS
Clematis morefieldii Kral
AUA_ACC_460145 Madison 27 Jun 1986 Kral, Robert
73540
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
AUA000030951 Madison 17 Jun 1983 Kral, Robert
70176
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
UNA00031731 Madison 27 Jun 1986 Kral, Robert
73540
UNA
Clematis morefieldii Kral
ALNHS00000634 Jackson 17 Jun 2010 Barger, T. Wayne
HC-536
ALNHS
Clematis morefieldii Kral
JSU156443 Madison 22 Sep 1995 Threlkeld, Steven J.
759
JSU
Clematis morefieldii Kral
AUA_ACC_71997 Jackson 11 Jul 2007 Schotz, Alfred
2064
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
UNA00061385 Madison 17 Jun 1983 Kral, Robert
70176
UNA
Clematis morefieldii Kral
AUA_ACC_56102 Madison 24 May 1989 Guthrie, Milo
2256
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
AUA000030952 Madison 17 Jun 1983 Kral, Robert
70176
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
JSU156442 Madison 22 Sep 1995 Threlkeld, Steven J.
759
JSU
Clematis morefieldii Kral
AUA_ACC_56103 Madison 24 May 1989 Guthrie, Milo
2256
AUA
Clematis Morefieldii Kral
UNA00061384 Madison 17 Jun 1983 Kral, Robert
70176
UNA
Clematis morefieldii Kral
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