''Hydrangea involucrata'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Hydrangeaceae, native to Japan and Taiwan.Pages 67-69; ''Hydrangeas for American Gardens'' by Michael Dirr. Timber Press, 2004. /. It is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

growing to tall by broad, with oval leaves and clusters of blue or pink flowers in late summer. The Latin ''involucrata'' means "with a ring of bracts surrounding several flowers", referring to the fringe of sterile florets. ''Hydrangea involucrata'' is cultivated as a garden plant, and has produced several

cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

. Image:Hydrangea involucrata SZ64.png, Illustration of ''Hydrangea involucrata''

References

involucrata Flora of Taiwan Flora of Japan Plants described in 1829 Taxa named by Philipp Franz von Siebold {{Cornales-stub