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Common Name: Hydrangea

General Information

Hydrangea serrata is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 2.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Japan.

Habitat

Woodland to 1500 metres[] in the mountains of C. and S. Japan[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Tolerates most soil[], thriving in a well-drained loamy soil[], but resenting dryness at the roots[, ]. Succeeds in full sun or semi-shade[], but if it is grown in a low rainfall area then it requires shade at the hottest part of the day[]. Does well on very acid soils with a pH around 4.5[]. Tolerates alkaline soils, but it may become chlorotic on shallow soils over chalk[]. The colour of the flowers reflects the pH of the soil the plant is growing in, the flowers are pink in a neutral to alkaline soil and blue in an acid soil[].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c when dormant but the young growth in spring can be killed by late frosts.
A very ornamental plant, there are many named varieties[].
Considerable difficulties exist in the nomenclature for this species and H. microphylla. They are treated here in accordance with 'Bean's Manual of Trees and Shrubs', though many botanists view H. serrata as no more than a sub-species of H. macrophylla.
This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and shoots - cooked[]. These leaves do not become sweet like those of sspp thunbergii or amagiana or those of H. macrophylla[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Can be grown as a low hedge[], it is quite wind tolerant.

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse in spring[]. Cover the pot with paper until the seed germinates[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 8cm long, mid summer in a frame. Overwinter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring[].
Cuttings of mature wood in late autumn in a frame[].
Mound layering in spring. Takes 12 months[].
Leaf-bud cuttings of the current seasons growth in a frame[].