Hydrangea aspera subsp. sargentiana

Hydrangea sargentiana, Rehd. Shrub, to 6 ft. with stout upright branches clothed with harsh hairs and stiff bristles: young growth more or less purple: lvs. ovate to ovate-oblong, shortly acuminate, crenate-serrate, dull green and hairy above, densely rough-villous below, 6-12 in. long; petioles 1 ½ -3 ½ in. long: cymes nearly flat, dense, 5-6 ½ in. across; fertile fls. pale violet, the sterile fls. white; style 2-3. July, Aug. Cent. China. -A strikingly handsome plant with its large lvs., the dense pubescence purplish on the young growth and with its large cymes bluish violet in the center and surrounded by conspicuous white sterile fls. It is rather tender and can be grown outdoors in the S. only and demands a shady position.

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