Virginia Tech Dendrology

climbing hydrangea Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea anomala D. Don. Listen to the Latin 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: woodvamp
leaf flower fruit twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Hydrangea anomala is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton.
More Information: Fall Color

All material © 2018 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range maps courtesy USGS from USDA "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr., Vol. 1 (1971) 3 (1976) 4 (1977) 5 (1978)