Philadelphus lewisii
Common name:
Wild Mockorange
Lewis Mockorange
Pronunciation:
fil-a-DEL-fus lu-IS-e-i
Family:
Hydrangeaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
Yes
- Deciduous shrub, 5-10 ft (1.5-3 m), many stemmed, broadly arching. Leaves opposite, simple, broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, 2-9 cm long, entire to serrate-dentate (i.e., spreading, pointed teeth). Flowers white, 4(5)-petals, yellow anthers, 4 cm across, 3-11 per cluster, fragrant. Fruit a 4-cell capsule.
- Sun to part shade, understory plant, thrives in almost any garden soil, prune after flowering.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native range from British Columbia to northern California, to Montana and central Idaho, to 7,000 ft elevation in the Cascades. It was introduced into Britain by David Douglas in 1825.
- The State Flower of Idaho
- There are several available selections of P. lewisii. One named 'Blizzard' (Blizzard Mockorange) was selected from a seedling population in Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada, and introduced by the Morden Research Station, Morden, Manitoba in 1994. The name 'Blizzard' emphasizes the greater hardiness of the plant (hardy to USDA Zone 2B or 3) and the profuse production of larger flowers compared to the species. The flowers are fragrant and single with 4 petals, but may occasionally produce 5 or 6 petals. Another selection, 'Goose Creek', has fully double flowers.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: near the NW corner of Hovland Hall.
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit, flowering in native habitat
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plant habit, flowering
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leaves and flower buds
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leaf
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flowering branch
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flowering branch
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flowers
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developing fruit
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mature fruit and leaves
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plant habit, fall
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foliage, fall
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leaves, fall
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winter twigs and buds
