I was quite delighted to find a specimen of Sugar Bowl (clematis hirsutissima) for the first time last summer. This member of the buttercup family, which is also known as hairy clematis, vase flower, leatherflower, or lion’s beard, has a very distinctive bell-shaped flower with silvery purple petal-like sepals. As the “hirsutissima” part of its botanical name suggests, all parts of this plant are quite hairy.
Sugar Bowl, Staunton State Park