Wayfaringtree Viburnum

(Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family)

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• Form
  • large ornamental shrub or foliage shrub
  • maturing at about 12' tall by 12' wide, but sometimes larger
  • upright oval growth habit in youth, becoming spreading with age
  • medium growth rate

• Culture
  • full sun to partial shade
  • prefers moist, well-drained soils of average fertility in full sun, but is adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, soils of various pH, dry soils, drought, pollution, and moderate heat
  • propagated by rooted stem cuttings or seeds
  • Honeysuckle Family, with no serious pest or disease problems, except for occasional cosmetic leaf spot
  • commonly available in ball and burlap from

• Foliage
  • very dark green, dark gray-green, or dark blue-green in color; leathery, thick, and having a rough texture with sunken veins above, but strikingly white and pubescent-tomentose beneath, with prominently large veins beneath that have a reticulate branching pattern
  • leaves are opposite, broad-elliptical to ovate, coarsely serrated, with an acute apex and cuneate to cordate base above a thick petiole, about 1.5 to 2 times as long as they are wide, and often completely deciduous by early Winter
  • fall color is often dark green then absisced, occasionally with tinges of purple and red

• Flowers
  • creamy-white, in early May, as flat-topped inflorescences to 4" in diameter, having a mildly fishy odor or fragrance, and moderately effective for about two weeks (inflorescences are not overly attractive, considering their large size)
  • floral buds are set by mid-Summer (as are most shrubs) and may sporadically open in late Summer and early Autumn

• Fruits
  • at first green, then transitioning to red, red-orange, or red-yellow by mid-Summer, then maturing to black in late August and early September, in flat-topped clusters
  • fruits can be profusely borne and attractive, but are often sparse or non-existent, as several shrubs are apparently needed in close proximity for cross-pollination and reliable fruit set in the Spring

• Twigs
  • stems are very stout and bold-textured; new stem growth is distinctly white-green and densely tomentose, changing to orange-brown and densely scurfy-pubescent on the mature stems and young branches
  • Winter buds are large; floral buds are prominent terminal knobs, while vegetative buds are naked and elongated, with terminal vegetative buds much larger than lateral buds

• Trunk
  • strongly multi-stemmed, bold-textured, and very stout, with branches becoming spreading or lightly arching with age, and old leggy trunks being supplemented with rapidly-growing basal suckers with age

• ID Summary
  • bold-textured, stout stems that are densely pubescent (white maturing to brown-orange) give rise to leathery leaves that are dark green above and white-green beneath, with prominent leaf underside veins that seem to pop-out as if a tourniquet has been applied to the petiole
  • prominent Winter floral buds give rise to wide creamy-white inflorescences in early May, easily seen but not overly attractive, and with a fishy smell, giving rise to reddish or black fruits in mid-Summer if planted in groups for cross-pollination
  • growth is robust and upright in youth, becoming more spreading and suckering with age
  • Wayfaringtree Viburnum is a parent of Lantanaphyllum Viburnum (Viburnum x rhytidophylloides), and is often confused with its sibling; however, the latter has a more upright growth habit, semi-evergreen foliage that is 3 to 4 times as long as wide, neutral-scented inflorescences that bloom slightly earlier and are often frost-damaged, and mature stems that are more intensely orange-brown and pubescent

• Function
  • formal or informal hedge, border, entranceway, spacious foundation, utilitarian, or deciduous screen shrub

• Texture
  • bold texture in foliage and when bare
  • thick density in foliage and when bare

• Assets
  • urban tolerant, with vigorous growth and bold texture
  • semi-showy creamy-white flowers in Spring and semi-showy red to black berries in late Summer

• Liabilities
  • easily gets out-of-bounds due to its vigorous growth
  • somewhat malodorous inflorescences
  • legginess with age, in part hidden by the basal suckers
  • fruit set is often poor to non-existent
  • as an occasional rootstock to other Viburnums, it may emerge as suckers from beneath these other species and quickly outgrow its grafted scion (a problem also encountered with Roses and Crabapples)

• Habitat
  • zones 4 to 7
  • native to Eurasia

• Alternates
  • large informal hedges or non-thorny barrier shrubs (Forsythia x intermedia, Viburnum x rhytidophylloides, Weigela florida, etc.)
  • utilitarian shrubs that are deciduous (Rhamnus frangula 'Columnaris', Viburnum x rhytidophylloides 'Allegheny', etc.) or evergreen (Juniperus chinensis 'Hetzii Columnaris', Juniperus scopulorum 'Gray Gleam', Thuja occidentalis 'Techny', etc.)

• Variants
  • Viburnum lantana 'Mohican' - a more compact size (to 8' tall by 8' wide) and uniform growth habit, having better fruit set, thicker leaves, and resistance to leaf spot; the cultivar of choice

• Translation
  • Viburnum is the classical Latin name for this species.
  • lantana is an old name for Viburnum.

• Purpose
  • Wayfaringtree Viburnum is a deciduous alternative to Lantanaphyllum Viburnum as a utilitarian shrub or non-thorny barrier hedge.

• Summary
  • Viburnum lantana is known for its tan-pubescent mature stems and large floral buds, stout white-green emerging stems, fishy-smelling inflorescences, robust growth, and red to black berries in late Summer and early Autumn.