Woody climber with long, slender, glabrous or pubescent branches. Leaves loosely pinnate or bi-pinnate with a few variable in shape, sub-orbicular, ovate-oblong, entire or incised to lobed, rarely with a few sharp teeth, very often narrowly linear-oblong or lanceolate with 1 or 2 short, narrow subbasal to lateral lobes, obtuse more rarely acute, usually glabrous. Petiole often twisted. Flowers yellow or purplish at least in part, in lax panicles. Sepals usually narrower, (8-) 12-15 x 3-5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, tomentose along the margin, silky or glabrous outside, vinous or glabrescent inside. Filaments flattened, tapering gradually or abruptly from a broad base, ± short, ciliate or hairy. Anthers glabrous. Achenes silky hairy. Style up to 3 cm long, ciliate plumose.

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Lectotype: Hb. Linn. 712/7 (IDC Micro Edition 346 Gotlandix).

Chitral: A-6 Bombrait, A.R. Beg 1494 (RAW), Gilgit: A-7 Nagar, 16.8.54, R.R. Stewart s.n. (RAW), (Gilgit-Imit, F. Schmid 2015 RAW), above Nomal, R.R. Stewart 26602 (RAW), Nomal, R.R. Stewart 26601 (RAW), Gurikot-Kuru, R.R. Stewart & E. Nasir 21980 (RAW), Gurikot, R.R. & I.D. Stewart 18896 (RAW), Baltistan: B-8 Shigar, R.R. Stewart 20518 (RAW), id., W. Koelz 9655 (RAW), Skardu, R.R. Stewart 20421 (RAW), id., M.A. Siddiqi & Y. Nasir 4109 (RAW), id, E. Nasir & G.L. Webster 6562 (RAW), Kurram: C-6 Parachinar, nr. Makai, M.A. Siddiqi & Y. Nasir 4305 (RAW).

Distribution: Widely distributed from the E. Mediterranean and the Black Sea through W. & S.W. Asia, S. Siberia to Pakistan, Mongolia, Tibet and China.

A very variable species. Clematis baltistanica Qureshi & Chaudhri is the same as Clematis orientalis.

Found in arid places from 2000-4000 m.