Hy*dran"ge*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. "y`dwr water + vessel, capsule: cf. F. hydrang'ee.] Bot.
A genus of shrubby plants bearing opposite leaves and large heads of showy flowers, white, or of various colors. H. hortensis, the common garden species, is a native of China or Japan.
© Webster 1913.