Forsythia Detail

Image: © Alice Batt Taken: 30 Mar 2014

Forsythia are deciduous shrubs typically growing to a height of 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) and, rarely, up to 6 m (20 ft) with rough grey-brown bark. The leaves are opposite, usually simple but sometimes trifoliate with a basal pair of small leaflets, and range from 2–10 cm (1–4 in.) in length and, rarely up to 15 cm (6 in.) long; the margin is serrated or entire. The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves, bright yellow with a deeply four-lobed flower, the petals joined only at the base. These become pendant in rainy weather thus shielding the reproductive parts. The genus is named after William Forsyth (1737–1804) a Scottish botanist who was royal head gardener and a founding member of the Royal Horticultural Society. Info from Wikipedia

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