Wild hydrangea is a shrub native to moist, rocky woods and streambanks across much of the eastern United States. Wild plants have broad, mostly flat clusters of many small flowers that produce seeds, while garden varieties such as ‘Annabelle’ form much larger white balls. Wild hydrangea is also called smooth hydrangea.
Appearance
- Appearance
- This rounded, multi-stemmed usually grows 3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) tall and wide. Its opposite leaves are broad, pointed, and sharply toothed.
- Flowers
- Wild plants have 2–8 in (5–20 cm) wide clusters of many tiny white , usually with a few larger near the edge. Ball-shaped garden forms have far more enlarged sterile flowers.
- Flowering time
- Wild plants in North Carolina bloom mainly from May through July, sometimes with scattered flowers later in summer.
- Fruit
- Small ribbed brown capsules ripen from July into September and split open to release seeds.
Look-alikes
Blue or purple blooms usually point to bigleaf hydrangea. White garden forms can be hard to separate from flower photos alone; bigleaf hydrangea mostly blooms on last year’s stems, while wild hydrangea blooms on new stems.
Why they get mixed upBoth have opposite toothed leaves and cultivars with rounded mophead blooms.
Panicle hydrangea carries cone-shaped flower clusters and can grow as a large shrub or small tree. Wild hydrangea stays smaller and has flat-topped or rounded flower clusters.
Why they get mixed upBoth are cold-hardy hydrangeas with white summer flowers on new growth.
| Flower cluster | Blooming stems | |
|---|---|---|
| wild hydrangea | flat or round | current-season stems |
| bigleaf hydrangea | round or flat | mostly last year’s stems |
| panicle hydrangea | cone-shaped | current-season stems |
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- wooded slopes
- ravines
- streambanks
- bluff bases
- Range
- Its native range extends from New York south to Florida and west to Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
- Preferred conditions
- It prefers moist, well-drained, neutral to acidic soil in partial shade. Full sun works where the soil stays consistently moist.
- Flowering
Flowers May–Jul
Flowers May–Jul
Growing it
- Care
- Flowers form on , so pruning in late winter does not remove the coming season’s flower buds. Consistent moisture helps stems support the large heads after heavy rain.
- Propagation
- Plants can be propagated by seed, stem cuttings, or layering.
- Toxicity
- The plant can be harmful to people, cats, dogs, and horses if eaten, so keep leaves, flowers, and stems away from curious children and pets.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- Common garden forms include the large white ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Grandiflora’, double-flowered ‘Hayes Starburst’, and newer pink-flowered selections. Soil pH does not change their flower color the way it can in bigleaf hydrangea.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The common name “sevenbark” refers to the older stems, whose bark peels in thin layers.
9 sources
- iNaturalist Taxon API: Hydrangea arborescens
- 국가생물종목록 1권: 식물, 균류, 조류, 원핵생물
- 국가표준재배식물목록집
- 미국수국 '애나벨' — 당진시 삼선산수목원
- Hydrangea arborescens — North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- アナベル — 神戸市立森林植物園あじさい情報センター
- Hydrangea macrophylla — North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Hydrangea paniculata — North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- RHS: Hydrangea arborescens Hayes Starburst