''Hydrangea serrata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Hydrangeaceae Hydrangeaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe. Description The genera are characterised by leaves in opposite pairs (rarely whorled ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to mountainous regions of Korea and Japan. Common names include mountain hydrangea and tea of heaven. Growing to tall and broad, it is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

shrub with oval leaves and panicles of blue and pink flowers in summer and autumn (fall). It is widely cultivated as an attractive ornamental shrub throughout the world in areas with suitable climate and soil.

Taxonomy

Considerable difficulties exist in the nomenclature for ''H. serrata'' and closely associated hydrangeas. It is treated here as an individual species in accordance with van Gelderen and van Gelderen.C.J. van Gelderen; D.M. van Gelderen. 2004. Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas. Timber Press. 280 p. Many botanists, however, view it as no more than a subspecies of '' H. macrophylla''.

Characteristics

''Hydrangea serrata'' is similar to ''H. macrophylla'' except it is a smaller more compact shrub with smaller flowers and leaves; it is also more hardy. With a rounded habit, it features dark green, serrated (toothed), ovate leaves to long, and clusters of long-blooming blue or pink lacy flowerheads in mid- to late summer. Both showy sterile florets and less showy fertile florets appear in each cluster. The flowers are perfect, having both male and female parts; they are insect-pollinated. HydrangeaSerrataFlower

Cultivation

''Hydrangea serrata'' is best grown in rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in partial shade. It tolerates full sun only if grown with consistently moist soils. Soil pH affects the flower color in the same manner as it does with ''H. macrophylla'' — namely, bluish in highly acidic soils and lilac to pink in slightly acidic to alkaline soils. Limited colour change can be achieved with pink and blue varieties on neutral soils by the careful use of soil additives. The flowers occur on old wood, and little pruning is needed. It may be pruned after flowering by cutting back flowering stems to a pair of healthy buds. Weak or winter-damaged stems can be pruned in early spring. It is winter hardy to

USDA Zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

6, and it can be grown in USDA Zone 5 with protection (e.g., mulch and burlap wrap). It may lose significant numbers of flower buds or die to the ground in harsh winters, impairing or decimating the bloom for the coming year. Plants are hardy to about when dormant, but the young growth in spring can be killed by late frosts. ''Hydrangea serrata'' makes a good specimen or accent plant for protected locations near homes or patios. It can be grown as a low hedge, and it is quite wind tolerant.

Propagation

Seeds can be surface sown in a greenhouse in spring. When large enough, seedlings may be outplanted into individual pots. Softwood cuttings can be rooted during summer, as can hardwood cuttings during fall and winter. Mound layering can be accomplished in the spring.

Problems

Some susceptibility occurs to

honey fungus ''Armillaria'' is a genus of fungi that includes the '' A. mellea'' species known as honey fungi that live on trees and woody shrubs. It includes about 10 species formerly categorized summarily as ''A. mellea''. ''Armillarias'' are long-l ...

, bud blight,

bacterial wilt Bacterial wilt is a complex of diseases that occur in plants such as Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (tomato, common bean, etc.) and are caused by the pathogens ''Erwinia tracheiphila'', a gram-negative bacterium, or '' Curtobacterium flaccumfacien ...

leaf spot A leaf spot is a limited, discoloured, diseased area of a leaf that is caused by fungal, bacterial or viral plant diseases, or by injuries from nematodes, insects, environmental factors, toxicity or herbicides. These discoloured spots or lesions ...

, and

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, a ...

Aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

are occasional summer pests.

Cultivars

Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, of which the following have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit:- *'Bluebird' *'Diadem' *’Grayswood’ *’Kiyosumi’ *'Miranda' *’Miyama-yae-murasaki’ *'Preziosa' *'Rosalba' *’Shirofuji’ *’Shojo’ *'Tiara'

Other uses

The leaves of mountain hydrangea contain

phyllodulcin Phyllodulcin is a dihydroisocoumarin found in ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' and '' Hydrangea serrata''.Accumulation of phyllodulcin in sweet-leaf plants of Hydrangea serrata and its neutrality in the defence against a specialist leafmining herbivore. ...

, a natural sweetener, and are used to make regionally popular herbal teas (sugukcha in Korea and amacha in Japan). Amacha tea is used in Japan in the celebration of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

's birth.

Chemistry

Phyllodulcin Phyllodulcin is a dihydroisocoumarin found in ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' and '' Hydrangea serrata''.Accumulation of phyllodulcin in sweet-leaf plants of Hydrangea serrata and its neutrality in the defence against a specialist leafmining herbivore. ...

is an isocoumarin found in ''H. serrata''.Accumulation of phyllodulcin in sweet-leaf plants of Hydrangea serrata and its neutrality in the defence against a specialist leafmining herbivore. Mami Ujihara, Masateru Shinozaki and Makoto Kato, Researches on population ecology, Volume 37, Number 2, pp. 249-257,

References

External links

*
Plant Guide: Hydrangea serrata (Mountain Hydrangea)Plants for a Future: Hydrangea serrata.Missouri Botanical Garden: Hydrangea serrata
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1006867 serrata Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of China