Prinsesse Alexandra

Clematis

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Nelly Moser'

Summary: 'Prinsesse Alexandra' is a climbing clematis variety which has larger leaves than the reference variety 'Nelly Moser'. 'Prinsesse Alexandra' also has longer peduncles and the flowers have a wider diameter than 'Nelly Moser'. The flowers of 'Prinsesse Alexandra' have a very light pink main colour, whereas 'Nelly Moser' flowers have a purple violet main colour. Both varieties have a dark pink purple secondary colour in the central bar area of the sepals. The anthers, stigmas and styles of 'Prinsesse Alexandra' are whitish cream to yellow in colour, while those of 'Nelly Moser' are purple violet to purple in colour.

Description:

'Prinsesse Alexandra' is a clematis variety which has a vigourous, climbing growth habit. The young shoots are sparsely pubescent. The leaves are ternate, with three leaflets. The leaflets are ovate in shape, with an acuminate apex, cordate base and sinuate margins. There is no lobing. The upper side of the leaflet blade is dark green with strong rugosity.

'Prinsesse Alexandra' flowers early in the season, only on the current year's growth. The flowers are single, rotate in shape and oriented upwards and outwards. In cross section the flower is flat. 'Prinsesse Alexandra' has 5 sepals which are overlapping. There is no flower fragrance. The sepals are elliptic in shape and concave to flat in cross section. They are moderately incurved to flat in longitudinal section. The apex of the sepal is cuspidate and the base is type I (no claw present). 'Prinsesse Alexandra' has two colours on the upper side of the sepals. The main colour is light pink and the secondary colour is dark pink purple, in a central bar pattern. The margins of the sepal are weakly undulating, with no twisting. There are no petaloids. The filaments are greenish yellow and the anthers are cream to yellow in colour. The stigma is whitish yellow and the style is yellow.

Origin & Breeding History: The variety 'Prinsesse Alexandra' was selected by the breeder in Ronde, Denmark in 1999. It was a seedling which was discovered in a seedbed and its parents were unknown. The new variety was selected on the basis of its improved floral characteristics.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Prinsesse Alexandra' were conducted during the summer of 2005 in Oxford Station, Ontario. The trials consisted of 10 plants of each variety, grown on a trellis. The plants were spaced approximately 35cm apart. All colour measurements were made using the RHS Colour Chart 2001.

Comparison tables for 'Prinsesse Alexandra' with reference variety 'Nelly Moser'

Length of leaf blade (cm)

Width of leaf blade (cm)

Length of peduncle (cm)

Diameter of flower (cm)

Colour of sepal (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Clematis: 'Prinsesse Alexandra' (left) with reference variety 'Nelly Moser' (right)