Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Otaksa’ (H)

Description:

A significant plant in the breeding of many cultivars, introduced by Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866). Named for a beautiful Japanese girl, Otakusa (real name Kusumoto Taki), who he was forbidden to marry. They were believed to have lived together on Dejima until Siebold was expelled in 1929. Date of introduction is unknown, though likely to have been during his 1923-1929 sojourn, the original specimen is believed to be from a Chinese-style temple in Sinsju (Mallet, The New Plantsman 1994).