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Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia

Found in native in hammocks, moist forests, also in disturbed areas, thickets, or forests adjacent to urban or suburban areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

54
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
4–8 feet
Spread
4–10 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 7 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 64 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 5

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal Plain hammocks

Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 126 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Hydrangea

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Darapsa versicolorHydrangea Sphinx
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Gandaritis atricolorataDark-Banded Geometer
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Olethreutes ferriferanaHydrangea Leaftier
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
17BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Hydrangea

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Hydrangeaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Flower color
Cream, pink, purple or white
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources