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Sweet Autumn Virgin's Bower

Clematis terniflora
NjuTIKA [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0] via Flickr
Clematis terniflora

Clematis terniflora (sweet autumn clematis, sweet autumn virginsbower) is a plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to northeastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia (Siberia), Taiwan). It was introduced into the United States in the late 1800s as an ornamental garden plant, and has naturalized in many of the eastern states. It is considered a Category II invasive plant in Florida (north and central) and some other eastern states, meaning it is invading native plant communities but is not yet seen as displacing native species.

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Rudy Mancke served as naturalist and co-host of South Carolina ETV's <i>NatureScene</i>, which began its long run in 1978. His field trips, broadcast nationwide, earned him a legion of dedicated viewers. Rudy's knowledge of the complex inner-workings of different ecosystems and his great admiration for the natural world make him the perfect guide. In fact, the National Wildlife Federation and the Garden Club of America honored his commitment to resource conservation with special awards. After retiring from SCETV, Rudy went on to become naturalist-in-residence at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. He hosted SC Public Radio's <i>NatureNotes</i> from 1999 until his death in 2023 at age 78.