Virginia Tech Dendrology

bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. symbol: HYMA7
Leaf: Opposite, deciduous, simple, ovate to elliptic, serrate, 4 to 8 inches long, green above, paler below with raised veins.
Flower: Very attractive, large (8 inch across) clusters, outer large flowers are sterile, pink or blue depending on soil pH (blue when acid), appearing in mid-summer.
Fruit: Small dry capsule.
Twig: Light brown, large leaf scar, buds large with loose outer scales, may have some winter dieback, hardly woody.
Bark: Light gray to light brown, some exfoliations.
Form: Small round shrub, up to 5 feet tall, numerous unbranched, vertical suckers.
Looks like: wild hydrangea - panicle hydrangea - oakleaf hydrangea

Additional Range Information: Hydrangea macrophylla is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 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 map source information