Hydrangea family, Hydrangeaceae
Origin: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Sakhalin
Habitat in the original area: mixed forests
Habitus: It is a liana with woody stems which are 5–25 metres long. It climbs along the substrate, to which it attaches with taproots. Its bark peels off in pieces. The shoots are covered with trichomes.
Leaf: The leaves have an elliptical shape extended to the tip and their base is rounded or cordate. Small bundles of trichomes grow on the underside of the leaf.
Bloom, fruit: It blooms in July. The flat, crested crown is composed of two types of blossoms. The marginal ring is formed by larger, infertile, white blossoms. In the central part of the inflorescence, there are small white blossoms from which fertile capsules with winged seeds develop.
Interesting fact: The stems become thick with age. Therefore, the plant needs to be given a solid support on which it can climb on so that it does not break. It does better in shady places, where the blossoms last longer. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow.
