Medium to large violet-blue flowers with lavender veining. White filaments and brown anthers. Raised by Cripps & Son before 1873. Confusingly, Cripps had given this name to an earlier cultivar (before 1866) which he later discarded. In 1912, William Robinson in his book 'The Virgin's Bower' lists this cultivar as "trusted to give lovely effects if culture and position be all [it] deserves."
It is widely held that this Guiding Star is synonymous with Lilacina Floribunda, but the International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002 suggests that more likely there was confusion between Crippss pre-1866 Guiding Star (Database entry 2172) and his pre-1880 Lilacina Floribunda (2334).
Group: Late large-flowered group
Approximate height: 2.5 - 3.0 metres
Flowering period(s): Jul Aug Sep
Aspect: Any aspect
Pruning: Hard prune (Group 3)
Raised by: Cripps & Son
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Date raised: b1873
Parentage: lanuginosa x viticella
Other name(s): 'Lady Baldwyn' (Australia). Mis-spelling: 'Guidingstar'
Further detail:
Flower diameter: 11-15cm
Tepals: 6-8, pointed
People:
Click the name(s) for information about:
Thomas Cripps