Ornamental Flower Hydrangea (Hortensia)

Hortensia (Hydrangea) is the genus name of 70-75 species of flowering plants originating from East Asia and South Asia (Japan, China, Himalaya, Indonesia), North America and South America. Most species come from Japan and China. This shrub plant can grow and reach 1 to 3 meters high, but there are also that propagate in other plants to reach a height of 30 meters. The leaves are oval, the edges are beringgit, the color is light green.

Apart from the species that grow in cool climates that have the nature of abort leaves (plant peluruh), most species of this plant is perennial green plants.

Hortensia is also known by the name of kembang bokor, while in Malay known by the name of three months flower. in south sulawesi known as the flower of masamba.

A panicle-shaped inflorescence, coming out from the end of the stalk to form a rounded bunch, in a cool climates bloom in early spring until late fall. In some species, panicles consist of two types of flowers, a group of fertile flowers in the middle of a panicle and larger sterile flowers are arranged in a circle. There are also species that have flowers that are all fertile and of the same shape.

In this plant that looks like a crown leaf is actually a petal leaf.

The flowers are white in most species, but some species are mainly H. macrophylla has flowers that can be blue, red, pink, or purple depending on the soil pH level. When still buds, the flowers are green, turn white, when blooms are light blue or pink which gradually turns into older elderly colors (dark blue or red) before the flowers fall out.

The acidic soil produces blue flowers, the soil with normal pH produces creamy white flowers, and the alkaline soil produces pink or purple flowers. Hortensia is one of the plants that in the leaves of flowers collect aluminum elements that are released soil that is acidic so the flowers become blue.