---
title: "Hydrangea: classification, 103 accepted species, distribution and historic plates | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/hydrangea/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-10
publisher: Floreboard (芳华绘)
---

Flora Japonica · Tab. 51 · 1835–1870 · Popp, Jos. Unger · public domain

# Hydrangea Gronov. ex L.

hydrangeas · Hydrangeaceae

- **Accepted name:** Hydrangea Gronov. ex L.
- **First published:** Sp. Pl.: 397 (1753)
- **Family:** Hydrangeaceae
- **Accepted species:** 103 (including 5 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 76 TDWG regions, East and South-East Asia and the Americas
- **Common names:** hydrangeas
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30010546-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/30010546-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/2855579) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/L27TC) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985983)

## Overview

Hydrangea is the type genus of the Hydrangeaceae. Florists mostly use the bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, whose heads combine showy sterile flowers, largely made of about four petaloid sepals, with small fertile ones. The Hydrangea japonica of older plates belongs, in WCVP, to another species, the mountain hydrangea H. serrata.

## Classification and naming

WCVP takes a broad view of the genus: Dichroa, Schizophragma, Pileostegia, Decumaria and the other genera in the table below are all sunk into Hydrangea, which is why the species count is higher than in older works. An early botanist founded the genus Hortensia on a mophead plant, which is how “hortensia” became the common name for mopheads; WCVP also treats it as a synonym.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| × Didrangea J.M.H.Shaw | Hanburyana 5: 47 (2011) |
| Adamia Wall. | Tent. Fl. Napal.: 46 (1826) |
| Broussaisia Gaudich. | Voy. Uranie: 479 (1830) |
| Calyptranthe (Maxim.) Nakai | Bull. Natl. Sci. Mus. Tokyo 31: 52 (1952) |
| Cardiandra Siebold & Zucc. | Fl. Jap. (Lugduni) 1: 119 (1839) |
| Cianitis Reinw. | Syll. Pl. Nov. 2: 68 (1826) |
| Cornidia Ruiz & Pav. | Fl. Peruv. Prodr.: 63 (1794) |
| Decumaria L. | Sp. Pl., ed. 2. App.: 1663 (1763) |
| Deinanthe Maxim. | Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint Pétersbourg, Sér. 7. 10(16): 2 (1867) |
| Dichroa Lour. | Fl. Cochinch.: 301 (1790) |
| Forsythia Walter | Fl. Carol.: 154 (1788) |
| Heteromalla (Rehder) H.Ohba & S.Akiyama | J. Jap. Bot. 91: 349 (2016) |
| Hortensia Comm. | A.L.de Jussieu, Gen. Pl.: 214 (1789) |
| Hydrangia L. | Gen. Pl., ed. 6.: 222 (1764) |
| Macnemaraea P.Willemet | Ann. Bot. (Usteri) 18: 34 (1796) |
| Pileostegia Hook.f. & Thomson | J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 2: 57 (1857) |
| Platycrater Siebold & Zucc. | Fl. Jap. (Lugduni) 1: 62 (1837) |
| Sarcostyles C.Presl ex DC. | Prodr. 4: 15 (1830) |
| Schizophragma Siebold & Zucc. | Fl. Jap. (Lugduni) 1: 58 (1837) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 76 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 28 more.

Native regions (76)

AlabamaArgentina SouthArkansasAssamBoliviaBorneoCambodiaChile CentralChile SouthChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastColombiaCosta RicaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaEast HimalayaEcuadorEl SalvadorFloridaGeorgiaGuatemalaHainanHawaiiHondurasIllinoisIndianaInner MongoliaJapanJawaKansasKazan-rettoKentuckyKoreaKuril Is.LaosLesser Sunda Is.LouisianaMalayaMarylandMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMississippiMissouriMyanmarNansei-shotoNepalNew GuineaNew JerseyNew YorkNicaraguaNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaPanamáPennsylvaniaPeruPhilippinesQinghaiSakhalinSouth CarolinaSulawesiTaiwanTennesseeThailandTibetVenezuelaVermontVietnamVirginiaWest HimalayaWest Virginia

### Introduced

AlbaniaAustriaAzoresCanary Is.Central European RussiaConnecticutFranceGermanyGreat BritainItalyJuan Fernández Is.MadeiraMaineMassachusettsMauritiusNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew Zealand NorthNew Zealand SouthNova ScotiaOntarioPortugalRéunionRhode I.South European RussiaSpainTrinidad-TobagoTristan da Cunha

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 103 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-20.

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Hydrangea acuminata Siebold & Zucc. |   |
| Hydrangea × agricola (J.M.H.Shaw) J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea albostellata Samain, Najarro & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea alternifolia Siebold |   |
| Hydrangea × amagiana Makino |   |
| Hydrangea amamiohsimensis (Koidz.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea ampla (Chun) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea angustipetala Hayata |   |
| Hydrangea anomala D.Don |   |
| Hydrangea arborescens L. |   |
| Hydrangea arguta (Gaudich.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea aspera Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don |   |
| Hydrangea asterolasia Diels |   |
| Hydrangea barbara (L.) Bernd Schulz |   |
| Hydrangea bifida (Maxim.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea breedlovei Samain, Najarro & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea bretschneideri Dippel |   |
| Hydrangea caerulea (Stapf) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea carroniae Samain & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea chungii Rehder |   |
| Hydrangea cinerea Small |   |
| Hydrangea coenobialis Chun |   |
| Hydrangea corylifolia (Chun) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea crassa (Hand.-Mazz.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea daimingshanensis (Y.C.Wu) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea davidii Franch. |   |
| Hydrangea densifolia (C.F.Wei) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea diplostemona (Donn.Sm.) Standl. |   |
| Hydrangea fauriei (Hayata) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea febrifuga (Lour.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea fistulosa (G.H.Huang & G.Hao) U.B.Deshmukh & M.B.Shende |   |
| Hydrangea glaucescens (Rehder) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea gracilis W.T.Wang & M.X.Nie |   |
| Hydrangea heteromalla D.Don |   |
| Hydrangea hirsuta (Gagnep.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea hirta (Thunb.) Siebold |   |
| Hydrangea hwangii J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea hydrangeoides (Siebold & Zucc.) Bernd Schulz |   |
| Hydrangea hypoglauca Rehder |   |
| Hydrangea integrifolia Hayata |   |
| Hydrangea involucrata Siebold |   |
| Hydrangea jelskii Szyszył. |   |
| Hydrangea kawagoeana Koidz. |   |
| Hydrangea kwangsiensis Hu |   |
| Hydrangea kwangtungensis Merr. |   |
| Hydrangea lalashanensis S.S.Ying |   |
| Hydrangea lingii G.Hoo |   |
| Hydrangea linkweiensis Chun |   |
| Hydrangea liukiuensis Nakai |   |
| Hydrangea lobbii Maxim. |   |
| Hydrangea longifolia Hayata |   |
| Hydrangea longipes Franch. |   |
| Hydrangea luteovenosa Koidz. |   |
| Hydrangea macrocarpa Hand.-Mazz. |   |
| [Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser.](https://floreboard.com/en/plants/hydrangea-macrophylla/) | reference page · 4 plates |
| Hydrangea mangshanensis C.F.Wei |   |
| Hydrangea marunoi Tagane & S.Fujii |   |
| Hydrangea mathewsii Briq. |   |
| Hydrangea megalocarpa (Chun) J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea minamitanii (H.Ohba) Yahara |   |
| Hydrangea × mizushimarum H.Ohba |   |
| Hydrangea moellendorffii Hance |   |
| Hydrangea mollissima (Merr.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea nahaensis Samain & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea nebulicola Nevling & Gómez Pompa |   |
| Hydrangea obtusifolia (Hu) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea ofeliae Sodusta & Lumawag |   |
| Hydrangea otontepecensis Samain & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea paniculata Siebold | 1 plate |
| Hydrangea peruviana Moric. ex Ser. |   |
| Hydrangea petiolaris Siebold & Zucc. |   |
| Hydrangea pingtungensis S.S.Ying |   |
| Hydrangea platyarguta Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea pottingeri Prain |   |
| Hydrangea preslii Briq. |   |
| Hydrangea quercifolia W.Bartram |   |
| Hydrangea radiata Walter |   |
| Hydrangea robusta Hook.f. & Thomson |   |
| Hydrangea sargentiana Rehder |   |
| Hydrangea scandens (L.f.) Ser. |   |
| Hydrangea schizomollis Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea seemannii L.Riley |   |
| Hydrangea serrata (Thunb.) Ser. | 1 plate |
| Hydrangea serratifolia (Hook. & Arn.) F.Phil. |   |
| Hydrangea sikokiana Maxim. |   |
| Hydrangea sousae Samain, Najarro & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea steyermarkii Standl. |   |
| Hydrangea strigosa Rehder |   |
| Hydrangea stylosa Hook.f. & Thomson |   |
| Hydrangea taiwaniana Y.C.Liu & F.Y.Lu |   |
| Hydrangea tapalapensis Samain, Najarro & E.Martínez |   |
| Hydrangea tarapotensis Briq. |   |
| Hydrangea tomentella (Hand.-Mazz.) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea × versicolor (Fortune) J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea viburnoides (Hook.f. & Thomson) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea wallichii J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea xanthoneura Diels |   |
| Hydrangea xinfeniae W.B.Ju & J.Ru |   |
| Hydrangea yaoshanensis (Y.C.Wu) Y.De Smet & C.Granados |   |
| Hydrangea yayeyamensis Koidz. |   |
| Hydrangea × ytiensis (J.M.H.Shaw) J.M.H.Shaw |   |
| Hydrangea yunnanensis Rehder |   |
| Hydrangea zhewanensis P.S.Hsu & X.P.Zhang |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/bm-438.jpg)Hydrangea Hortensis（正文）Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 438 · 1799, Sydenham Edwards
- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/fragmenta-3.jpg)Hortensia opuloidesFragmenta Botanica, figuris coloratis illustrata · T. 3 · 1800–1809,
- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/flora-japonica-51.jpg)Hydrangea AzisaiFlora Japonica · Tab. 51 · 1835–1870, Popp, Jos. Unger
- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/flora-japonica-61.jpg)Hydrangea paniculataFlora Japonica · Tab. 61 · 1840,
- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/fds-16-rosalba.jpg)Hydrangea japonica RosalbaFlore des serres et des jardins de l'Europe · 526（图上所印） · 1865–1867,
- [](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/plates/favourite-flowers-90.jpg)Hydrangea HortensiaFavourite Flowers of Garden and Greenhouse · Pl. 90 · 1897,

## Garden types and colour

Most bigleaf hydrangea cultivars are either mopheads or lacecaps. Flowers turn blue when aluminium is readily available, usually in acidic soil; Mississippi State University Extension gives soil pH 5–5.5 for blue and 6–6.5 for pink, and white cultivars do not change.

## Further reading

- [Hydrangea macrophylla · bigleaf hydrangea](https://floreboard.com/en/plants/hydrangea-macrophylla/)
- [Hydrangeas topic library (in Chinese)](https://floreboard.com/hydrangea/)
- [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/hydrangea/)
- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-20
- [Trees and Shrubs Online · Hydrangea macrophylla (Sutton 2025)](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/hydrangea/hydrangea-macrophylla/)
- [Mississippi State University Extension · How to Change the Color of Hydrangeas](https://extension.msstate.edu/blogs/extension-for-real-life/how-change-the-color-hydrangeas)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-20); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.