Abelia × grandiflora glossy abelia

Glossy abelia at Meyer Green. Sairus Patel, 25 Sep 2022

Glossy abelia leaves and flowers. John Rawlings

Shrub, upright to 8 feet high and arching; glossy, green opposite, simple leaves, reddish bronze in spring and fall. Showy, small, tubular flowers in clusters. Pink sepals remain on stem after petals fall off. Sometimes trimmed to hedge but standard practice is not to shear this shrub and ruin its natural, arching form.

Quad near church; Encina Hall; Meyer Green; Schwab Center, front; Maps & Records.

Illustrations: Sheared, mass planting west of Meyer Library (c. 2005).

Name derivation: Abelia – After Dr. Clarke Abel, physician, and author on China, 1780–1826; grandiflora – large flowers.

Related material: Stanford Grounds Plant Information Sheet. List No.14, p.9.