Sweet Abelia…
- Abelia is a plant group from the family Caprifoliaceae, the family of honeysuckles.
- Abelias are evergreen or deciduous shrubs that can grow 1 to 6 meters (3.3 to 20 feet) in height.
- Abelias are native to eastern Asia and Mexico.
- Abelia leaves are dark green and glossy, and the tubular flowers are small, white or pink that grow in clusters.
- Abelia shrubs flower between spring and autumn.
- Abelias were named after the naturalist Clarke Abel, from Britain, who discovered the plant.
- Abelias were introduced to England by Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist in 1844.
- Abelias are popular garden shrubs, as they are generally hardy and have a long flowering period, and are generally pest free.
- Abelias attract some nectar feeding insects, and the plant is eaten by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera, a family of moths and butterflies.
- Most Abelia species do not like extreme cold.
Bibliography:
Abelia, 2013 Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelia>
