Abelia × grandiflora 'KALEIDOSCOPE'® glossy abelia

Abelia

Abelias (Abelia) are a genus of deciduous or evergreen shrubs in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). In the current botanical treatment, the genus comprises only six species native to China, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. In the wild, they are found mainly along woodland edges, in shrubby habitats and on sunny mountain slopes with well-drained soils. Their characteristic features include small opposite leaves, gracefully arching branches and masses of tubular flowers that appear over an exceptionally long period, from summer well into autumn. Although the individual flowers are not large, their abundance and persistence make abelias among the most valuable late-flowering shrubs.

The genus was first described botanically in 1754 by the Dutch botanist Johannes Gronovius (1686–1762), but its name commemorates a different man: the British physician, naturalist and traveller Clarke Abel (1780–1826), who took part in a diplomatic mission to China in 1816. During the expedition, he assembled valuable botanical collections, including plants of abelias that were then unknown in Europe. His return journey, however, turned into a drama. The ship carrying the collections was wrecked and later attacked by pirates, resulting in the loss of most living specimens. Only those plants that Abel had entrusted before his departure to his friend Sir George Thomas Staunton (1781–1859) in Canton survived. Thanks to this foresight, abelias were not lost and could be preserved for science. The next chapter of their story was written in 1844 by the Scottish plant collector Robert Fortune (1812–1880), who introduced seeds and living plants from China to Europe. This opened the way for their wider cultivation and subsequent breeding, which eventually led to the creation of the best-known garden abelia of all, Abelia × grandiflora.

The greatest success was achieved at the Italian Rovelli Nursery on the shores of Lake Maggiore, where the hybrid Abelia × grandiflora was bred in 1886. It arose from a cross between A. chinensis and A. uniflora, inheriting the finest qualities of both parents. From the former it gained abundant flowering and a pleasant fragrance, while from the latter it acquired its elegant habit and refined growth character. The new hybrid soon surpassed its parents and became, without exaggeration, the most widely cultivated abelia in the world. Its exceptionally long flowering season and attractively coloured persistent sepals provide an ever-changing display from early summer until autumn, setting it apart from many shrubs that reach their peak for only a few weeks before fading into the background. Abelia × grandiflora quickly spread throughout Europe and North America. During the twentieth century, it became the foundation for numerous cultivars differing in size and in the colour of their foliage and flowers.