Hydrangea hirta, also known as the nettle-leaved hydrangea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae that is native to East Asia.
Taxonomy
Hydrangea is Greek in origin, and comes from Greek meaning "water" and meaning "vessel" describing to the shape of the cup shaped fruit and the capsule the fruit is contained in.
The
hirta portion of this species name means "hairy".
Another name for this species is
Hortensia hirta.
Hortensia is a Latinised version of the French given name Hortense, referring to the wife of Jean-André Lepaute.
In
Japan the name for this species is meaning small hydrangea.
Natural hybrids between hydrangea species are rare, but these have been found in the Izu Peninsula of Japan between Hydrangea hirta and H. scadens.
Description
A small
deciduous shrub reaching 3 to 4 ft in height.
The shrub grows numerous stems from the base, with a canopy consisting of a single uniform layer.
The leaves on this shrub are deep toothed, and are covered in hairs.
Hydrangea hirta has alternating leaves that are 5 to 8 cm long with an ovate shape that end in a pointed tip. Yellowing and dropping of the leaves commences in August. As the branches become older, the initially hairy branches become glabrous due to the loss of the hairs.
The flowers of this shrub grow in small clusters that are light blue to white in color. An individual flower of this species measures 5 mm in diameter with 5 petals and 10 stamens; this species lacks the ornamental bracts that many other hydrangea species possess.
Distribution
This shrub is native to the mountain ranges of
Japan, and extends from the
Himalayas through
China to
Taiwan.
Ecology
In
Japan Hydrangea hirta is located in a belt of montane cool-temperate rainforest.
This rainforest belt had a range of 1,200 meters in elevation in
Kyushu, at 1,000–1,800 meters in
Shikoku, 800–1,650 meters in Chūbu and the lowlands of south
Hokkaido. An example of where this species grows is in the
Tsuga sieboldii forest that covers the Pacific side of
Honshu and
Shikoku where this shrub composes 20% to 40% shrub cover.
Hydrangea hirta is a slow growing deciduous species that prefers soils that are acidic, heavily leached, and moist, with temperate climate conditions.
Uses
This species is used in
horticulture, gardening and landscaping.
Seeds for this species can be purchased. In the European countries that this species can be found in it is notably susceptible to
Armillaria. The leaves of this species have been said to be edible after they have been cooked.
