Azara serrata
Sponsor
Kindly sponsored by
Jane Furse
Credits
Martin F. Gardner & Sabina G. Knees (2025)
Recommended citation
Gardner, M.F. & Knees, S.G. (2025), 'Azara serrata ' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Synonyms
- Azara patagonica hort.
Shrub 2–4 m tall with densely hairy shoots. Leaves 2–6(–7) × 1.5–3 cm, oblong-elliptic, toothed or scalloped, glabrous but sometimes with hairs beneath, shiny dark green. Stipules 6–18 mm, orbiculate, margin toothed; petiole to 10 mm. Flowers deep golden yellow, 8–17, borne in stalked corymbs. Sepals 1.5–3 mm, covered in long soft hairs. Stamens 30–50, the outer often sterile. Nectaries absent. Flowering late April–May. Berry globose, pearly-white, maturing pale mauve; seeds 15–25. (Cullen et al. 2011; Rodríguez & Marticorena 2019; Sleumer 1977).
Distribution Chile Regions of: Coquimbo, Valparaíso (including Juan Fernández – var. fernandeziana only), Metropoltiana, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, Araucanía, Los Ríos, Los Lagos
USDA Hardiness Zone 8b-9a
RHS Hardiness Rating H4
Awards AM
Taxonomic note Azara serrata comprises two varieties. A. serrata var serrata is native to mainland Chile and southern Argentina and is widely cultivated in Britain and Europe while A. serrata var. fernandeziana is confined to the Juan Fernandez Islands (a group of Pacific islands some 670 km off the coast of Chile) and is not thought to be in cultivation. The differences between these two taxa is minor in that var. serrata has sepals 1.5–2 mm long and coriaceous leaves while var. fernandeziana has larger sepals that are 2.5–3 mm long and membranous leaves. Plants of Azara serrata are occasionally cultivated under the unpublished name Azara patagonica or sometimes as A. serrata ‘Patagonica’. Under the former name it is described as being a ‘A rare species of Azara found in Chile. An evergreen shrub Ht. 2.5 m with glossy, tooth edged leaves, clusters of fragrant yellow flowers appear in late spring and summer’ (Paviour and Davies Plants 2020). From the description and images we have seen of this plant there is little doubt that it is merely a form of Azara serrata, however, it is not clear what the unique characteristics are to warrant a cultivar name.
Azara serrata has for a long time been confused with A. dentata; indeed, this confusion still persists today both in gardens and especially in the horticultural trade, with many leading nursery growers and retailers adding to the confusion (pers. obs.). When one considers how very different these two species are, then it is somewhat difficult to fully understand the cause of the confusion. A. serrata has shiny green leaves that are glabrous, while those of A. dentata are a very deep green and covered in dense short hairs beneath. The former has pearly-white fruits that can turn pinkish mauve as they mature, while those of A. dentata are a very distinctive orange. Such is the confusion between these two species that in 1957 a plant of A. serrata was exhibited by Windsor Great Park at a Royal Horticultural Society show under the name A. dentata and given an Award of Merit (Anon 1957), and the accompanying plant description included key characters of both taxa! In flower, there is no comparison between the two species; A. serrata is very floriferous, producing copious amounts of bright lemon yellow to deep golden yellow stamens, while those of A. dentata are less abundant, and the stamens are shorter and a rather dull orange yellow in colour (pers. obs.). It is highly unlikely that A. dentata has the mark of ornamental quality to be deemed worthy of a horticultural award like the Award of Merit (AM).
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact date when Azara serrata was first introduced to cultivation because of this confusion with A. dentata. Bean (Bean 1976) briefly discussed A. serrata in a footnote under A. dentata, referencing the confusion (and distinctions) between the two. Having been described by Ruiz & Pavon (Ruiz & Pavón 1798) along with A. dentata, it is likely that A. serrata has been in cultivation for a very long time and its date of introduction may well have been confused with that of A. dentata, which is 1830. Today A. serrata is very widespread in cultivation in temperate regions of the world that have a relatively benign winter climate. Certainly, it ranks amongst the most ornamental of all Azara species but because it is not as hardy as A. microphylla it tends to be less frequently cultivated; certainly this is true when it comes to cultivation in the UK and Ireland. Like most garden plants that are considered to be winter tender, A. serrata is often cultivated against a south-facing wall; however, this is not always the best location for its long-term survival. Similar to most Azara species it occurs as an understory shrub, mostly close to water courses, and in cultivation it is perhaps prudent to try to replicate similar conditions to avoid exposure to cold winter winds which have proved to be so damaging to this species. A specimen grown in moisture-retentive soil against a north-facing wall at Colesbourne Park, Gloucestershire, throve for several years (illustrated here) until it was cut to the ground by the long cold spell of December 2010, when the area experienced –15oC. It resprouted in the following spring (J. Grimshaw pers. comm. 2025). There are many examples of A. serrata in cultivation, and the tallest mentioned in the Tree Register of Britain and Ireland include a fine specimen at Nymans, West Sussex, which in 2021 was 8.4 m tall and one at The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens which was 6.7 m in 2024 (The Tree Register 2025). Logan Botanic Garden in southwest Scotland has many specimens in the upper part of the garden where many Chilean species are planted. These represent new introductions from Chile over the past 30 years and exhibit many of the variations in leaf size and flower colour that are so characteristic of A. serrata.
'Andes Gold'
Synonyms / alternative names
Azara dentata 'Andes Gold'
Azara serrata 'Andean Gold'
This is considered to be the most widely cultivated form of A. serrata and is sometimes incorrectly assigned to A. dentata. As the name suggests it has deep, golden yellow flowers and apart from this it has all the same characteristics found in A. serrata var. serrata. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘Andean Gold’ (Hillier & Lancaster 2014), corrected in later editions of the Hillier Manual (Edwards & Marshall 2019).
'Maurice Mason'
Synonyms / alternative names
Azara paraguayensis hort.
The cultivar ‘Maurice Mason’ was introduced to cultivation by the notable, highly accomplished amateur horticulturist and plant collector Maurice Mason, who acquired it from a cultivated plant in Bariloche, Argentina, in 1976. He introduced it as A. paraguayensis, an unpublished name (therefore invalid) that is still being used in cultivation (and the horticultural trade) for this cultivar. Plants are also cultivated under the name A. uruguayensis, an accepted name, to which it clearly bears no resemblance. The cultivar ‘Maurice Mason’ forms a large shrub to 5 m tall and has distinctive pendulous branches, and leaves 4–6 × 2–2.5 cm that are at the larger end of the range of A. serrata. Some authorities speculate that this cultivar is a hybrid (Hillier & Lancaster 2014, Edwards & Marshall 2019), possibly between A. serrata and A. lanceolata, but this is highly unlikely because the two species flower at different times of the year. Furthermore, the key characters of the cultivar ‘Maurice Mason’, the larger leaves and pendulous habit, can often be seen in recently introduced plants from Chile (see images under A serrata var. serrata from Logan Botanic Garden).
