Hydrangea Pics: Hydrangea paniculata Kyushu Hydrangea

Hydrangea (/ha?'dre?nd?i?/;common names hydrangea or hortensia) is a genus of 70-75 kinds of flowering crops local to southern and eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas, and Indonesia) and the Americas. Probably the greatest species diversity is within eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea. The majority are shrubs 1 to 3 meters extra tall, however, many are small trees and shrubs, while others lianas reaching up to 30 m (98 ft) by climbing up trees. They can be either evergreen or deciduous, though the cultivated temperate varieties are all deciduous greatly.Having been introduced to the Azores, H. macrophylla is quite typical now, on Faial particularly, which is known as the "blue island" because of the multitude of hydrangeas present on the island.Life cycleHydrangea plants are created from planting season to late fall months; they expand in flowerheads (corymbs or panicles) most often at the ends of the stems.

Typically the flowerheads contain two types of plants: small non-showy plants in the center or interior of the flowerhead, and large, showy flowers with large brilliant sepals (tepals). These showy bouquets are often long in a engagement ring, or to the surface of the tiny flowers. Vegetation in wild populations typically have few to nothing of the showy blossoms, while cultivated hydrangeas have been chosen and bred to have significantly more of the larger type flowers.There are two flower arrangements in hydrangeas with Corymb style inflorescens, which include the commonly grown "bigleaf hydrangea"--Hydrangea macrophylla. Mophead blossoms are large spherical flowerheads resembling pom-poms or, as the name signifies, the comparative head of an mop. On the other hand, lacecap flowers bear round, flat flowerheads with a center core of subdued, small flowers surrounded by outer rings of larger flowers having showy sepals or tepals.

The flowers of some rhododendrons and viburnums can show up, initially, a lot like those of some hydrangeas.Colors and earth acidityIn most kinds the blooms are white, but in some varieties (notably H. macrophylla), can be blue, red, green, light purple, or dark purple. In these species the colour is affected by the occurrence of metal ions which are available or tangled up depending after the ground pH. For H. macrophylla and H. serrata cultivars, the flower color can be determined by the relative acidity of the soil: an acidic soil (pH below 7), will supply aluminum ions and produce flowers that are blue to purple typically, whereas an alkaline soil (pH above 7) will tie up aluminum ions and result in pink or red flowers.

This is the effect of a color change of the flower pigments in the presence of aluminium ions which can be taken up into hyperaccumulating plants.[6] Lowering the pH of potting soils or mixes usually does not change the flower color to blue, because these soils haven't any aluminum ions. The capability to blue or pink a hydrangea is also influenced by the cultivar. Some plants are selected for his or her ability to be blued, while others are bred and selected to be red, pink or white. The flower color of most other Hydrangea species is not affected by aluminum and can't be changed or shifted. Hydrangeas also have a nickname called 'Change Rose'.