Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Cornales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Hydrangea radiata
FAMILY
Hydrangeaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Snowy Hydrangea at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Hydrangea radiata
FAMILY
Hydrangeaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Hydrangea radiata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 094-05-001c:
Hydrangea arborescens ssp. radiata FAMILY Saxifragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hydrangea radiata
COMMON NAME:
Snowy Hydrangea, Silverleaf Hydrangea
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm0401b_09
January Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
JK Marlow jkm0304e_07
April Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm0304e_08
April Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow s050424_k
April Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
Lower leaf densely floccose-velutinous, felt-like, appearing white or silver, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm0205cb_05a
May Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm120623_265b
June Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm140627_458
June Transylvania County NC
Foothills Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150621_395
June Jackson County NC
Foothills Trail
Sterile flowers are 1-3.5cm broad, consisting of a flat 3-4 lobed calyx, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_9025
June Greenville County SC
Generally fairly many (2-15) sterile flowers per inflorescence, per Weakley's Flora.
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_060521hayesville01
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_hydrangea_radiata_8
July
Perfect flowers numerous, short-pedicellate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Ron Lance rwl708_a
September
This is SC's most common hydrangea in the mountains and piedmont, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm211106_4744
November Pickens County SC
Palmetto Trail
Leaves white below, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
COMPARE
leaves of Hydrangea species
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Hydrangea radiata
FAMILY
Hydrangeaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Hydrangea radiata
FAMILY
Hydrangeaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Hydrangea radiata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 094-05-001c:
Hydrangea arborescens ssp. radiata
FAMILY
Saxifragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hydrangea radiata
708
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Rocky forests and rock outcrops, often common and conspicuous on roadbanks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Mountains (uncommon in SC Piedmont, rare in NC Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Opposite
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
5-lobed calyx (in bisexual flowers)/3-4 lobed calyx (in sterile flowers)
5 petals (in bisexual flowers)/petals absent (in sterile flowers)
8-10 exserted stamens
Inferior ovary
Bisexual or sterile
Inflorescence a corymb
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Brown
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p096?
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p072?
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p146
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p175
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p116
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p063?
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p302?
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p140
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p16
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p162
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".