Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla)

Date Collected: April 1, 2012

Location Collected: Walking in the Mar Vista area.

Clade: Hydrangeas belong to the vascular clade along with the angiosperm clade. Being an angiosperm the Hydrangeas have flowers that "hide" the seeds.

Habitat: Hydrangeas are found growing in the wilderness of the riverbanks and forest lands; they are harvested during autumn which marks the transition into winter.

Nativity: This shrub grows vertically into the air and is indigenous to the eastern regions of the United States varying from New York to Florida and westwards towards the city of Oklahoma.

Special notes:  The hydrangeas were first at the hands of the Cherokee Indians and later introduced it to the early Europeans as medicine for kidney stones. When using this plant for kidney stone, it is also used in a mixture of bearberry, parsley, gravel root, and piert.

Resources: http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_hydrangea.htm

                    http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=hyar