Astringent tannins of Viburnum and Hydrangea species

The tannins of the leaves of Viburnum and Hydrangea species consist of proanthocyanidins only, but in each genus the range is very wide. In several species of Hydrangea the proanthocyanidins are of the A type, otherwise they are mostly tri- or tetrameric B type. Tannin content is correlated with evolutionary advancement, the more advanced and more widely dispersed species having the less. Species with most tannin occur in E. Asia and E. N. America, but species with little or no tannin are present in both areas. The occurrence in both genera of globose inflorescences with sterile flowers is correlated neither with morphological nor with chemical characters.