Clematis venusta M. C. Chang

Vines woody. Branches subterete, glabrescent. Leaves ternate; petiole 2--5.2 cm; leaflet blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2.5--7 × 0.8--2 cm, papery, abaxially appressed sericeous-puberulous, adaxially very sparsely puberulous and often glabrescent, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, or rounded, margin entire or to 2-denticulate, apex attenuate; basal veins nearly flat. Flowers 1--3 borne together with several leaves arising from axillary buds of old branches, 5--8 cm in diam. Pedicel 4--15 cm, sparsely puberulous. Sepals 4, white, spreading, elliptic, 2.5--4 × 2--2.5 cm, abaxially sparsely appressed pubescent, adaxially glabrous, margin abaxially densely puberulous, apex obtuse to emarginate. Stamens 0.8--1.2 cm, glabrous; anthers narrowly oblong, 2.5--3 mm, apex obtuse. Ovaries glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Style ca. 7 mm, densely villous. Fl. May.

NW Yunnan (Lijiang Naxi Zu Zizhixian, Zhongdian Xian).

* Forests, scrub; 2300--2700 m.