Deep red flowers becoming greenish-straw coloured with wine red bar, veins and margin. Pale yellow anthers.

The image from L'Illustration Horticole 1860 shows patens vars Violacea and Atropurpurea. Magnus Johnson writing in The Genus Clematis refers to the accompanying text by Ch. Lemaire saying that they are seedlings of 'Helena'. There is no such statement by Lemaire in the text.

Group:	Early large-flowered group
Raised by:	D Spaë
Country of origin:	Belgium
Date raised:  r=raised s=selected f=first flowered n=named i=introduced b=before c=about	b1860
Other name(s):	patens violacea
Further detail:	Tepals: 8; lanceolate Leaves: ternate