Viburnum

Viburnum (Viburnum) is a genus of about 150 species of shrubs or (in a few species) small trees that used to belong in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. They are now classified in the moschatel family (Adoxaceae).

They are native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with a few species extending into tropical regions in South America and southeast Asia.

The leaves are opposite, simple, and entire, toothed or lobed; cool temperate species are deciduous, while most of the warm temperate species are evergreen. The flowers are produced in corymbs 5-12 cm across, each flower white to cream or pink, small, 3-5 mm across, with five petals, strongly fragrant in some species. 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 or somewhat flattened berry, red to purple or blackish, 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).

Cultivation and uses

In prehistory, the long straight shoots of viburnums were used as arrow-shafts.

Species