General Description

A deciduous plant that has showy Spring and Autumn colours with edible berries that tend to last into the winter.

Landscape

Used typically in the landscape for screening, mass planting, to attract birds and for its seasonal interest.

Cultivation

Grows best in full sun to partial shade. Prefers moist, well drained soils. It is drought tolerant, generally urban tolerant and can adapt to most soils, acidities and weather conditions.

Shape

Multi-stemmed upright shrub or tree with an irregular rounded shape.

Growth

Slow

ID Characteristic

Oval fruit that turns from green, to light pink and finally to a near black. It has clusters of creamy-white flowers and a stiff, upright rounded shape.

Pests

No known pests. Prone to mildew in late August to early September that lasts until its leaves drop.

Habitat

Moist woods, thickets, stream banks.

Bark/Stem Description

Multi-stemmed grey-brown trunk with stout, stiff-looking twigs. The twigs are reddish-brown with prominent winter buds. With age the bark becomes square and shredded-looking.

Flower/Leaf Bud Description

The vegetative bud is a pinkish-brown with two scales. It has a narrow oval shape and is about 1 cm long. The flower bud is similar in colour, with two scales, but is bigger and plumper at the bottom and narrows at the top. The flower bud is also about 1 cm long.

Leaf Description

Simple with an opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves themselves are finely serrated with a length of 2.5 - 7.5 cm and a width of 5 cm.

Flower Description

Creamy-white flat-topped inflorescence with dense cymes forming with each flower, being anywhere from 5-10 cm long.

Fruit Description

Clusters of small, round fruit about 5 cm in width. These fruits are enjoyed by birds and can be used for jams and jellies.

Colour Description

In the spring, two-shaded light and dark green leaves are visible with creamy-white flowers and green fruit. In autumn, the fruit will start to turn pink as the leaves start to take anywhere from dark green, burgundy, red, orange, yellow and purple. The fruit ripens to a blackish-blue end colour. Once all the leaves have fallen to the ground, its grey-brown bark and reddish-brown twigs are fully visible.

Texture Description

Medium.

Notable Specimens

Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis, MO.

Propagation

Propagation by seed or cuttings. Once the seed is ripe, put into a cold frame at 5° C. From here it requires two months of warmth followed by another three months of cold. It can be planted thereafter but may still take up to eighteen months to germinate. Cuttings should ideally be 5 - 8 cm long, with a heel if possible. Cuttings need to be done between July and August, and then put into a cold frame until the following spring. By this point they should root and you can pot the plant until firmly rooted.

Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)

Bark and root bark used for traditional medicinal purposes.

Dirr, M. (2008). Manual of woody landscape plants: Their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation and uses. Champaign, IL: Stipes Pub. SAYRE, L. E. (1895, August). Botanical Medicine Monographs and Sundry VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM AND VIBURNUM OPULUS. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY Volume 67, #8. Retrieved from http://www.swsbm.com/AJP/AJP_1895_No_8.pdf