Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii

About Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii) 48 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Lewis's Mock-orange is a deciduous shrub in the Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea) family native to western North America, from northwestern California in the Sierra Nevada, north to southern British Columbia, and east to Idaho and Montana. It is widespread but not terribly common, usually appearing as an individual plant amongst other species. It was entered into Western record by Meriwether Lewis in 1806. The shrub is rounded and grows to 1.5-3 meters in height. It sends out long stems which are red when new and fade to gray with age, the bark shredding in small flakes. The opposite leaves vary in size across individual plants but they are usually oval, 3-5 centimeters long, smooth or serrated along the edges, and light green in color with a rough texture. The flowers are produced in clusters at the ends of long stems, with four white petals 5-40 millimeters long and numerous yellow stamens. At the height of flowering, the plant is covered in a mass of blossoms. The flowers have a heavy, sweet scent similar to orange blossoms with a hint of pineapple. The fruit is a small hard capsule 1 centimeter long with woody, pointed wings, containing many brown 2.5-3 millimeter long seeds.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

4.9 - 12 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form

Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

White, Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies love the flowers
Butterfly gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Johnson's Euchlaena Euchlaena johnsonariaEuchlaena johnsonaria

Eupithecia maestosaEupithecia maestosa

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 48

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

well drained soils that are coarse to medium (rich, loamy) textured. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Hedges, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Ceanothus species, Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), California coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Oaks (Quercus species), and Gooseberry (Ribes species)

Maintenance

Can coppice if plant is quite woody with sparse foliage. This method can significantly improve the appearance of this shrub, but be careful not to cut the roots!

Propagation?

Seed, cuttings or root sections. For propagating by seed: 2-3 mos. stratification.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Rocky slopes, canyons, open areas primarily of mountainous regions between 1,000 and 4,000 ft. as a component of foothill woodland or evergreen forest

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 10.2" - 133.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 4.23", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 52.2", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 76.8", Humidity: 0.21" - 26.55", Elevation: 21" - 11310"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Philadelphus lewisii ssp. gordonianus
Common Names: Lewis' Mock Orange, Lewis' Mockorange

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Mock Orange

Philadelphus lewisii

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Mock OrangePhiladelphus lewisii

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Mock Orange

Philadelphus lewisii