Viburnum

Viburnum is a genus of about 150-175 species of shrubs or (in a few species) small trees.

They are native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with a few species extending into tropical montane regions in South America and southeast Asia. In Africa, the genus is confined to the Atlas Mountains.

The leaves are opposite, simple, and entire, toothed or lobed; cool temperate species are deciduous, while most of the warm temperate species are evergreen. Some species are densely hairy on the shoots and leaves, with star-shaped hairs.

The flowers are produced in corymbs 5-15 cm across, each flower white to cream or pink, small, 3-5 mm across, with five petals, strongly fragrant in some species. The gynoecium has 3 connate carpels with the nectary on top of the gynoecium. Some species also have a fringe of large, showy sterile flowers round the perimeter of the corymb to act as a pollinator target.

The fruit is a spherical, oval or somewhat flattened drupe, red to purple, blue, or black, and containing a single seed; they are eaten by birds and other wildlife, and some are edible for humans (though many others are mildly poisonous to people). The leaves are sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.


Some Species
Viburnum acerifolium (Maple-leaf Viburnum or Dockmackie) is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern North America from southwestern Quebec and Ontario south to northern Florida and eastern Texas.
It is a shrub growing to 1-2 m tall. The leaves are in opposite pairs, 5-10 cm long and broad, three- to five-lobed, the lobes with a serrated margin. The flowers are white with five small petals, produced in terminal cymes 4-8 cm diameter. The fruit is a small red to purple drupe 4-8 mm long.

Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry, Sheepberry, or Sweet Viburnum) is a species of Viburnum native to the northeastern and midwestern United States, and in southern Canada from New Brunswick west to southeastern Saskatchewan. Isolated populations are found in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Appalachian Mountains as far south as Kentucky and Virginia. It is a large shrub or small tree growing to 9 m tall with a trunk up to 25 cm diameter and a short trunk, round-topped head, pendulous, flexible branches. The bark is reddish- to grayish-brown, and broken into small scales. The twigs are pale green and covered with rusty down at first, later becoming dark reddish brown, sometimes glaucous, smooth, tough, flexible, and produce an offensive odor when crushed or bruised. The winter buds are light red, covered with pale scurfy down, protected by a pair of opposing scales. Flower-bearing buds are 2 cm long, obovate, long pointed; other terminal buds are acute, 10–15 mm long, while lateral buds are much smaller. The bud scales enlarge with the growing shoot and often become leaf-like.
The flowers are small, 5-6 mm diameter, with five whitish petals, arranged in large round terminal cymes 5-12 cm diameter; flowering is in late spring. The calyx is tubular, equally five-toothed, persistent; the corolla is equally five-lobed, imbricate in the bud, cream-white, one-quarter of an inch across; lobes acute, and slightly erose. There are five stamens, inserted on the base of the corolla, alternate with its lobes, exserted; filaments slender; anthers bright yellow, oblong, introrse, versatile, two-celled; cells opening longitudinally. The pistil has a one-celled inferior ovary, the style thick, short, light green, and the stigma broad; there is one ovule in each cell. The fruit is a small round blue-black drupe, 8-16 mm long on a reddish stem; it is thick skinned, sweet and rather juicy, and edible. The stone is oblong oval, flattened.

Viburnum nudum (naked viburnum) is a plant in the muskroot family, Adoxaceae.

Viburnum opulus (Guelder-rose, Water Elder) is a species of Viburnum, native to Europe and Asia. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4-5 m tall. The leaves are opposite, three-lobed, 5-10 cm long and broad, with a rounded base and coarsely serrated margins; they are superficially similar to the leaves of some maples, most easily distinguished by their somewhat wrinkled surface with impressed leaf venation. The leaf buds are green, with are valvate bud scales.

The hermaphrodite flowers are white, produced in corymbs 4-11 cm diameter at the top of the stems; each corymb comprises a ring of outer sterile flowers 1.5-2 cm diameter with conspicuous petals, surrounding a center of small (5 mm), fertile flowers; the flowers are produced in early summer, and pollinated by insects. The fruit is a globose bright red drupe 7-10 mm diameter, containing a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds eat the fruit, then deposit the seeds in another location in their droppings.

Viburnum plicatum is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern Asia, in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall. The leaves are opposite, 5–10 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, simple ovate to oval, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced in flat corymbs 5–10 cm diameter, comprising a central cluster of fertile yellowish-white flowers 5 mm diameter, surrounded by a ring of showy, sterile flowers 2–3 cm diameter, which act as a target guide to pollinating insects. The fruit is an ovoid blue-black drupe 8–10 mm long.

Viburnum prunifolium (Blackhaw, also spelled Black haw, Blackhaw Viburnum, or Stag Bush), is a species of Viburnum native to southeastern North America, from Connecticut west to eastern Kansas, and south to Alabama and Texas.

Viburnum dentatum (Southern Arrowwood or Arrowwood Viburnum) is a small shrub, native to the Eastern United States from Maine south to Northern Florida and Eastern Texas. Like most Viburnum, it has opposite, simple leaves and fruit in berry-like drupes. Foliage turns yellow to red in late fall. Localized variations of the species are common over its entire geographic range. Common differences include leaf size and shape and placement of pubescence on leaf undersides and petioles.

Viburnum rhytidophyllum (Leatherleaf Viburnum) is a species of Viburnum, native to Asia. The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a suckering habit. The leaves are opposite, crinkled, downy on the underside, less so on the upper surface.

Viburnum sieboldii (Siebold's viburnum) is a plant in the muskroot family, Adoxaceae.

Viburnum tinus (Laurustinus, Laurustinus Viburnum, or Laurestine) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Viburnum, native to the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia.

Viburnum trilobum (American Cranberrybush Viburnum, American Cranberrybush or Highbush or High Bush Cranberry) is a species of Viburnum native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to British Columbia, south to Washington state and east to northern Virginia, with an isolated population in New Mexico.

Viburnum lantana (Wayfaring Tree) is a species of Viburnum, native to central, southern and western Europe (north to Yorkshire in England), northwest Africa, and southwestern Asia.

Viburnum lantanoides (also called Hobblebush, Witch-hobble, and Moosewood) is a perennial shrub of the family Caprifoliaceae growing 2-4 meters (6-12 ft) high with pendulous branches that take root where they touch the ground. These rooted branches form obstacles which easily trip (or hobble) walkers - hence the common name. The shrub forms large clusters of white to pink flowers in May-June. The flowers on the outer edge of the clusters are much larger (3-5 cm across). The whole cluster is typically 10 cm across. It has large, cardoid leaves which are serrate, 10-20 cm long. The bark is gray-brown and warty and the fruit is a drupe which is red, turning to black when ripened.

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