Deciduous climber. Leaves 4-10 cm long, 4-7 cm wide, ovate, short-pointed, with fine teeth (unlike the large teeth in h. anomala), sometimes downy below. Flower clusters flat, to about 20 cm wide, the edging sterile flowers to 3-4.5 cm wide, the sterile flowers small, creamy; summer.

Syn. H. anomala subsp. petiolaris.

H. seemannii L. Riley from Mexico is an evergreen climber that is occasionally offered; it has flowers in a single terminal cluster. H. anomala D. Don, from China, Korea and Japan is occasionally grown; it is a deciduous climbing shrub with rough, sometimes hairy branches. Leaves to 12 cm or so long, ovate and regularly toothed. Flower clusters white, flat, to 20 cm wide, with sterile flowers few, surrounding the numerous small central fertile ones; early summer.

Japan, Russia, Korea, Taiwan.

VIC: Ferny Ck (Conifer Gds Nsy); Langwarrin (Cruden Farm).

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Hydrangeaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.