climbing hydrangea Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea anomala D. Don. symbol: -- Leaf: Opposite, simple, serrate, oval to ovate, heart-shaped base, long petiole, 2 to 4 inches long, thickened and coarse feeling, dark green above, paler below. Flower: White, in large flat-topped (5 to 8 inch) clusters, outer flowers much larger and sterile, very showy, fragrant, appearing in late early summer. Fruit: Small brown capsule, not showy. Twig: Stout, initially green turning red and eventually brown, peeling bark, large bud with reddish brown and light brown scales. Bark: Reddish brown with large amounts of exfoliating bark, develops aerial roots, attractive. Form: A climbing vine that may reach over 60 feet in height. Looks like: climbing hydrangea Additional Range Information: Hydrangea anomala is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. More: Fall Color External Links: © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson