Hydrangea arborescens (Sevenbark, Smooth Hydrangea, Wild Hydrangea)

Interesting Facts

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This is lacy-flowered wild shrub a relative of the large flowered blue or pink ornamental variety which is frequently planted in yards . The large white flowers on the edge of the flower head are sterile and are used as "attention getters" to attract pollinators to the smaller fertile flowers.

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Sevenbark, Smooth Hydrangea, Tree Hydrangea, Wild Hydrangea

Common Names in French:

Hortensia De Virginie

Common Names in German:

Wald-Hortensie

Description

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Genus Hydrangea

Subshrubs , shrubs , or small trees , erect or climbing , deciduous or evergreen . Branchlets , leaves, and inflorescences variously hairy . Leaves opposite, rarely verticillate , exstipulate ; leaf blade simple , margin entire , serrate, or rarely pinnately lobed . Inflorescence terminal, occasionally axillary , a corymbose cyme, umbellate cyme, or thyrse ; bracts deciduous. Flowers fertile or sterile . Sterile flowers few (more numerous in cultivated varieties), sometimes absent, borne at margin of inflorescence, with sepals 2 or 5, petaloid , and enlarged. Fertile flowers usually very numerous, bisexual , small; pedicel short. Calyx tube adnate to ovary, 4- or 5-dentate, persistent . Corolla lobes 4 or 5, free , rarely connate and forming a calyptra, ovate or spatulate , valvate . Stamens (8 or) 10(or 25), inserted on disc; filaments linear ; anthers oblong to subglobose, apex subrounded to obtuse . Ovary inferior to 2/3 superior, imperfectly or perfectly 2-4(or 5) -loculed; placentation parietal or axile ; ovules numerous. Styles 2-4(or 5), free or basally connate, persistent; stigmas terminal or decurrent along style adaxially. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing apically among styles, hemispheric to turbinate , small, apex projected or truncate . Seeds numerous, small, winged or wingless; seed coat thin, with reticulate or striate veins.

About 73 species: mainly in E Asia, a few species in SE Asia and the New World; 33 species (25 endemic) in China.

One of the present authors (Bartholomew) feels that the three species complexes in Hydrangea would be better treated as the widespread, variable species H. chinensis (to include H. davidii, H. linkweiensis, and H. mangshanensis), H. heteromalla (to include H. bretschneideri, H. dumicola, H. hypoglauca, H. macrocarpa, H. sungpanensis, and H. xanthoneura), and H. aspera (to include H. coacta, H. kawakamii, H. longipes var. fulvescens, and H. longipes var. lanceolata) .Wei Chao-fen, Bruce Bartholomew "Hydrangea". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 411. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Physical Description

ID Features: Stems emerge from ground with few branches. Large opposite, serrated leaves. Imbricate buds with 4 to 6 scales. Buds are greenish brown and glabrous. Balls of flowers covering plant in summer. Persistent flower panicles.

Habit: A deciduous shrub is formed by numerous unbranched canes . A low growing, rounded habit.

Flowers: Large flowers composed of sterile and fertile flowers. Dull white to pinkish color. Blooms in June and continues throughout the summer. Clusters are 4" to 6" wide. Showy. • Bloom Period: June, July, August. • Flower Color: near white, white

Seeds: Fruit: Dry capsule. Persists through winter. Not ornamentally important.

Foliage: Summer foliage: Deciduous simple leaves. Opposite leaf arrangement . Elliptical leaf shape . 2" to 8" long. 2" to 5" wide. Cordate leaf base . Serrated leaf margins . Dark green leaf color. • Fall foliage: Leaves turn pale yellow and fall off. Not ornamentally significant.

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Fast. • Size: 3' to 5' tall and generally wider than tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: In northern areas used as a perennial . For flowering effect. For summer flowers. Shrub border , massing. For shady areas. • Liabilities: Lack of winter hardiness . Blight . Leaf spot. Powdery mildew . Aphids.

Habitat

Hardy to zone 4, and warmer parts of 3.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,092 meters (0 to 3,583 feet).Mean = 273.580 meters (897.572 feet), Standard Deviation = 196.960 based on 921 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Transplants well from containers . Adaptable to most conditions. Partial shade. Flowers on new wood . Acidic to neutral soil.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Kingdom: Plantae () - Plants
- Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Vascular Plants
  - Class: Magnoliopsida () - Dicotyledons
    - Order: Rosales ()
      - Family: Pyraloidea ()
        Subfamily: Hydrangeoideae ()
        Tribe: Hydrangeae ()
        Genus: Hydrangea () - Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 397. 1753. - Hydrangea
        Specific epithet: arborescens - L.
        Botanical name: - Hydrangea arborescens L.

Unambiguous Synonyms

Hydrangea arborescens var. oblonga Torr. & Gray
Hydrangea arborescens var. sterilis Torr. & Gray

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Sp. pl. 1:397. 1753

Name verified on 23-Jan-2001 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 23-Jan-2001

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Hydrangea

There are approximately 1091 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

Bibliography

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Browne, E. T. & R. Athey. 1992. Vascular plants of Kentucky: an annotated checklist. (L Kentucky)
Clewell, A. F. 1985. Guide to the vascular plants of the Florida panhandle. (F FlaPan)
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, ed. 2. (Glea Cron ed2)
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. (Dict Gard)
Krüssmann, G. 1984. Handbuch de Laubgeholze, Engl. translat. (Krussmann)
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. (Ency CNatIn)
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. (Hortus 3)
McClintock, E. 1956. Baileya 4:168.
McClintock, E. 1957. A monograph of the genus Hydrangea. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 29:168.
McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. (F GPlains)
McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. (F Carolin)
Smith, E. B. 1978. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas. (L Arkansas)
Steyermark, J. A. 1977. Flora of Missouri. (F Missouri)
Strausbaugh, T. D. & E. L. Core. 1978. Flora of West Virginia, ed. 2. (F WVa)
Terrell, E. E. et al. 1986. Agric. Handb. no. 505. (AH 505)
Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania. (Atlas Penn)
Hwang Shu-mei, Wei Chao-fen, Lu Ling-ti, Ku Tsue-chih & Jin Shu-ying. 1995. Saxifragaceae (2) [Parnassioideae, Hydrangeoideae, Escallonioideae, Iteoideae, Ribesioideae]. In: Lu Ling-ti & Hwang Shu-mei, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 35(1): 1-406.
Pan Jin-tang. 1992. Saxifragaceae (1) [Penthoroideae, Saxifragoideae]. In: Pan Jin-tang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 34(2): 1-309

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 15, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 10 providers.
Light, Kris. East Tennessee Wildflowers
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 24, 2008)
Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden, Vascular Plant Type Specimens
US National Plant Germplasm System, United States National Plant Germplasm System Collection
USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2649542
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-24195
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13742796
Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:791544-1
GRIN Nomen Number: 312129

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 24195
International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 30010549
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDHDR01010
U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: HYARS
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 55

Hydrangea arborescens

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Genus Hydrangea

Physical Description

Size/Age/Growth

Landscaping

Habitat

Biology

Reproduction

Growth

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

Notes

Similar Species

Members of the genus Hydrangea

Bibliography

More Info

Notes

Contributors

Data Sources

Identifiers

Footnotes