False Goat's Beard

Description

Astilbe chinensis, commonly known as false goat's beard, tall false-buck's-beard or Chinese astilbe, is a plant in the saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae. It is commonly grown in shade gardens. Astilbe chinensis is a herbaceous perennial growing in clumps.The species reaches a height of 45–90 centimetres (18–35 in). The leaves are predominantly basal and ternately compound with sharply-toothed (often biserrated) leaflets. Most leaflets are elliptic to oval in shape and hairy. The mounds of leaves resemble ferns. Flowers are minuscule and form panicles on thin, erect or arching stems. Chinese astilbe was discovered by Richard Maack on 6 July 1855 in the south of modern-day Amur Oblast of Russia and the Chinese region Heilongjiang, and by Leopold von Schrenck the following year.The natural range of Chinese astilbe is Eastern China, Japanese archipelago, and Korea, at altitudes between 400 and 3600 meters. It is found along shaded streams and rivers as well as within and along the margins of damp, open broadleaf forests. The binomial name of Chinese astilbe is Astilbe chinensis. The genus name, Astilbe, from the Greek words for "without" and "brightness", refers to the dullness of leaves of some species, while the specific epithet refers to the plant's Chinese origin. Chinese astilbe was originally described as Hoteia chinensis by C. J. Maximowiez in 1859. In 1875, Adrien René Franchet and Ludovic Savatier transferred it to the genus Astilbe. Whether A. chinensis and A. rubra were distinct species or synonyms was a controversial issue for botanists throughout the 20th century,with current consensus favoring the latter interpretation. The plant once known as Astilbe davidii (Franch.) is today regarded as a variety of A. chinensis. Other varieties include A. chinensis var. divaricata (Nakai) and A. chinensis var. pumila (auct.).