Authors: L.   L. f.  

Botanical Description

To about 90cm or less if pruned hard annually, but up to 1.5m otherwise. Leaves lanceolate to ovate, sometimes broadly so, 4-8cm long, irregularly and sharply toothed. Flowers pink, to 6mm across, in often large corymbs terminating the current season's growth, late summer. Annually pruned specimens can produce multiple corymbs with an overall diameter of 15-30cm across. Japan, China, Korea, amongst mountain scrub. S.j. 'Albiflora' (syn. S. albiflora) is smaller growing (under 60cm pruned), with white flowers. S.j. var. alpina should be mat-forming and no more than 15cm high. It was introduced from Mt. Hakone in Japan in 1879 but appears now to be lost. However, there seems little doubt that plants grown as 'Nana' are descended from it. See also S.j. 'Nana'. S.j. 'Bullata' (syn. S. bullata) rarely exceeds 30-40cm in height, with congested growth, wavy dark green leaves 1-2.5cm long, and small heads of crimson flowers. The best erect-growing cultivar for the rock garden. S.j. 'Bumalda' (syn. S. X bumalda), is a little smaller than typical japonica, with broadly lanceolate leaves, coppery when young, and carmine flowers. S.j. 'Nana', syn. 'Alpina' of gardens, has a very dense spreading habit with slender twiggy stems, old plants can attain 60cm in height and twice this or more in spread, flowers lilac-pink. 'Little Princess' is a selected seedling,of more robust habit and with larger leaves. See comments under S.j. var. alpina.