Hydrangea arborescens (smooth hydrangea)

Wild hydrangea, also known as smooth hydrangea, is a small- to medium-sized multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub that grows up to 7' tall. It flowers from May to July, typically producing white lacecap inflorescences composed of hundreds of fertile flowers which are usually surrounded by a ring of showy sterile flowers. Ribbed, brown fruits appear in October and persist through the winter. Stem bark has a peculiar tendency to peel off in several successive thin layers in different colors. Can spread rapidly by stolons to form colonies. Blooms on new wood, so it can be pruned from fall to early spring or even killed to the ground in extreme cold, and the flowers will still be reliably produced in summer. Often cultivated for ornamental use. Note that unlike nonative hydrangea species, the flower color of this native does not change depending on the acidity, or pH, of the soil in which it is grown.

Wild hydrangea is native to the eastern U.S. It is mainly found in moist soils under a hardwood forest canopy and is often common along woodland road banks and streams. It is a host plant of the hydrangea sphinx moth. Supports and attracts bees and butterflies. In hydrangea trials conducted by the Mt. Cuba Center, wild hydrangea's relatively small lacecap flower heads attracted the second most pollinators, far more than than those of other mophead cultivars that were bred for their large and showy blooms.

Photo by Andrey Korzun, licensed under Creative Commons, no changes

BONAP Native Range Map. Bright green indicates native to the county, dark green indicates native to the state.

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