Plant Image Data Base
Hydrangea
quercifolia
Oakleaf Hydrangea
(Hydrangeaceae - Hydrangea Family)
Form
- medium-sized ornamental shrub
- maturing at about 7' tall by 8' wide
- radiating rounded growth habit
- slow growth rate in youth, sometimes achieving a medium growth rate with
establishment
Culture
- full sun to full shade
- prefers moist, well-drained, rich, slightly acidic soils in full sun, but
is tolerant of dry or wet sites, soils of average fertility, and neutral to
slightly alkaline soils (the foliage may become slightly chlorotic in
extremely alkaline soils, which can be remedied with an annual regimen of
fertilization)
- propagated by seeds, rooted stem cuttings, division of the young plant, or
removal of rooted suckers
- Hydrangea Family (some sources list Oakleaf Hydrangea under
Saxifragaceae), with virtually no disease or pest problems
- abundantly available in ball and burlap or container form (although
sometimes sold out, due to high demand and slow growth rate)
- fruiting heads are normally left on for Winter character, but may be
pruned off for dried arrangements
- basal suckers that occur with age can be removed annually, unless a slowly
expanding colony of the shrub is desired
Foliage
- dark green, opposite, and overall very broadly ovate to elliptical
- leaf margins are serrated, incised, and range from entire to seven-lobed,
with deep sinuses and acuminate apices
- leaves are up to 1' long, often resembling the foliage of Northern Red Oak
(Quercus rubra), hence the common name
- fall color in October and November is a mixture of green, wine, purple,
maroon, red, and brown, with uniform fall color occurring in full sun (in
shady areas, the fall color tends to be bronzy-green at abscission)
Flowers
- conical inflorescences terminate many stems and are up to 1' long each
- showy white to cream sterile florets surround the greenish-yellow true
flowers hidden underneath
- the sterile florets gradually change to pink, lavender, bronze, and
finally brown as the season progresses, flowering in June and persistent as
a fruiting head into the next season
- overall the many inflorescences create a showy, radiating effect of white
flowers
Fruits
- true fruits are many small brown capsules and are ornamentally
insignificant; however, the inflorescence with its persistent outer layer of
sterile florets remains as a fruiting stalk, and is quite noticeable in
Winter and into the following Summer if not removed
Twigs
- young twigs are very pubescent and orange-brown
- bark is exfoliating in large flakes on older stems, revealing a
cinnamon-orange smooth interior bark
- large terminal floral buds are orange-brown and very pubescent; vegetative
buds, whether terminal or lateral, are smaller versions
- overall, the shrub is composed of several stout, crooked, and relatively
few-branched stems (becoming more twiggy and suckering at maturity)
Trunk
- light orange-brown and exfoliating
- several trunks and branches radiate from a common basal point at 45 degree
angles, yielding an overall rounded shape to a vase branching pattern
ID Summary
- very large Northern Oak-like leaves are dark green above, with
green-silver to green-brown pubescent undersides, having pubescent orange
petioles and stems, exfoliating with age, forming a broad-rounded outline of
bold character
- huge inflorescences are conical, with an outer layer of white sterile
flowers nearly covering the creamy miniature flowers underneath, in June and
slowly transitioning to fruiting bodies during the Summer, with the sterile
flowers changing to bronzy-pink then brown, and persisting into the
following year as fruiting heads
Function
- specimen, focal point, flowering accent, foundation, entranceway, border,
water's edge, mass planting, or naturalized area shrub
Texture
- bold texture when in foliage, flower, and when bare
- open density in youth when in foliage, but thick density at maturity
- always an open density when bare, irrespective of age
Assets
- large and showy white inflorescences in early Summer
- bold year-round texture
- exfoliating orange bark
- wine-red Autumn coloration
- wet site tolerant
Liabilities
- slow growth rate, especially in youth
- dead fruiting stalks that persist into the following season
- basal suckers with age
- need to maintain a non-straggly growth habit through a small amount of
judicious pruning if sited as a specimen plant
- leaf chlorosis and reduced plant vigor will result if placed in very
alkaline soils
- inflorescences are so large that they will often droop
Habitat
- zones 5 to 9
- native to the Deep South of the United States
Variants
- Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' - bold inflorescences are held
more vertically, with larger and more dense sterile florets that turn a
consistent pink in Summer, while the dark green Summer foliage turns a
consistent red-bronze in Autumn; this will be the cultivar of choice as soon
as supply meets demand
Purpose
- Oakleaf Hydrangea is a bold-textured, four-season shrub, especially noted
for its large white Summer inflorescences.
Summary
- Hydrangea quercifolia is a four-season shrub (large dark green
Spring and Summer foliage, prominent white Summer inflorescences, good
wine-red fall color, and fruiting stalks coupled with exfoliating orange
bark during the Winter).
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