Deutzia

Deutzia — Deutzia is a genus of about 60 species of shrubs in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to eastern and central Asia (from the Himalaya east to Japan and the Philippines), and Central America and also Europe. By far the highest species diversity is in China, where 50 species occur.

The species are shrubs ranging from 1-4 m in height. Most are deciduous, but a few subtropical species are evergreen. The leaves are opposite, simple, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced in panicles or corymbs; they are white in most species, sometimes pink or reddish. The fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous small seeds. Identification of the species is very difficult, requiring often microscopic detail of the leaf hairs and seed capsule structure.

Deutzias are commonly grown as ornamental plants for their white flowers. Many cultivars and hybrids have been selected for garden use, including selections with double flowers. For example, Deutzia x lemoinei is a hybrid of D. gracilis and D. parviflora. Identification can be difficult, and in particular, many of the plants in cultivation sold as D. scabra are actually D. crenata (Huxley 1992). Some species are sometimes known as “Pride-of-Rochester” in cultivation.