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A hybrid is a cross between two 'pure' strains. A pure strain breeds true from seed (i.e. always or almost always - there's always the possibility of a natural hybridization through a cross with another variety) looks like the plant that produced the seed, but the seeds of a hybrid may look like either one of its parents or something in between (e.g. a breeder may have produced a pretty pink flowering plant from a red parent and a white parent; the seeds from the hybrid could produce red, white or pink plants and the pink ones may not be the same pink as the plant that produced the seed or it could be something altogether unexpected resulting from a natural cross with yet another plant. Hybrids are, therefore, usually plants multiplied by vegetative means - e.g. root divisions, cutting or whatever is appropriate for the particular type of plant. So your clematis seeds may or may not 'breed true' but if they don't, you could end up with a unique plant. So it rather depends on what you want to do - if you absolutely must have a certain variety that is a hybrid, you should buy it as a plant from a nursery, but ,if you're adventureous and like suprises, grow them from seed and wait and see what you get. It could either be a disappointment, just what you wanted, or an interesting, pleasant surprise! This year I planted quite a few daylily seeds that are 'cast-offs' or excess from a hybridizer and I'm very curious to see what they will eventually turn out to be - I like most daylilies, even the common orange ones, so I'll be happy with whatever they are - I want to produce a large bed of mixed daylilies and I figure this may be an interesting and less expensive route to try. So it all depend on why you're trying to grow the clematis from seed...
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