Shrub to 3 m tall. New growth hairy at first, axillary buds hidden. Leaves to about 8 cm long, ovate; hair on veins below; tip long-pointed. Flowers in short clusters of 5-9 together, each mostly 2.5-3 cm wide, creamy white, fragrant; late spring, early summer. Stamens about 25. Seed long-tailed.

P. tomentosus Royle from Himalaya and India is similar but the leaf undersurfaces are downy-hairy over the whole surface while P. lewisii Pursh from WN America has hairless new growth, leaves ovate to elliptic, mostly 4-6 cm long, flowers late spring to early summer in clusters of 5-11, each 3-4.5 cm wide; the seed is long-tailed. P. purpurascens (Koehne) Rehder from SWChina has leaves more or less ovate, to 6 cm long and larger on non-flowering shoots, summer flowers in clusters of 5-9, each flower 3-4 cm wide, fragrant. It has the distinctive character of green sepals, tinged with purple.

S Europe, Russia

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.