| Hydrangea petiolaris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 'Climbing hydrangea' – foliage and flowers. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Cornales |
| Family: | Hydrangeaceae |
| Genus: | Hydrangea |
| Species: | H. petiolaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrangea petiolaris | |
Hydrangea petiolaris, aclimbing hydrangea (syn:Hydrangea anomala subsp.petiolaris), is a species offlowering plant in the familyHydrangeaceae native to thewoodlands ofJapan, theKorean peninsula, and onSakhalin island of easternmostSiberia in theRussian Far East.[1]
Hydrangea petiolaris is sometimes treated as asubspecies of the closely relatedHydrangea anomala fromChina,Myanmar, and theHimalaya, asHydrangea anomala subsp.petiolaris. TheHydrangea anomala species differs in being smaller (to 12 metres (39 ft) ) and having flower corymbs up to 15 cm diameter. The common nameClimbing hydrangea is applied to both species, or to species and subspecies.
Hydrangea petiolaris is a vigorous woody climbingvine plant, growing to 30 to 50 ft (9 to 15 m) height and 5 to 6 ft (2 to 2 m) wide.[1] It grows uptrees androck faces in itsnative Asianhabitats, climbing by means of smallaerial roots on the stems. Theleaves aredeciduous, ovate, 4–11 cm long and 3–8 cm broad, with a heart-shaped base, coarsely serrated margin and acute apex.
Theflowers are produced in flatcorymbs 15–25 cm diameter in mid-summer; each corymb includes a small number of peripheral sterile white flowers 2.5–4.5 cm across, and numerous small, off-white fertile flowers 1–2 mm diameter.[1] Thefruit is a dry urn-shapedcapsule 3–5 mm diameter containing several small winged seeds.
Hydrangea petiolaris is cultivated as anornamental plant in Europe and North America. Climbing hydrangea is grown either on masonry walls or on sturdytrellises or fences. It is at its best where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, however it can tolerate dense shade,[1] and is therefore often selected for shady, north-facing areas with little or no sun. Its clinging rootlets are not as strong as some other wall-climbingvines, and so is often anchored with supplemental gardening ties. Its outward-reaching side shoots can be pruned back to a pair of buds toespalier it flatter against its support. When pruned during flowering, the blooms are useful in bouquets.
It can also be grown as a ground cover, to eventually grow over an area of up to 200 square feet (19 m2).[1]
It is an USDA climatic Zone 4a plant, so it can resist temperatures down to between -34.4 °C (-30 °F) and -31.7 °C (-25 °F).
The young leaves of climbing hydrangea are edible when cooked. Tasting like cucumber, they're sometimes added to Miso in Japan.[2]
‘Hydrangea’ is derived fromGreek and means ‘water vessel’, which is in reference to the shape of its seed capsules.[3]
