Lantanaphyllum Viburnum

(Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family)

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• Form
  • large, semi-evergreen, broadleaved ornamental shrub or foliage shrub
  • maturing at about 12' tall by 12' wide, although sometimes larger
  • upright columnar growth habit in youth, becoming more rounded and spreading with age
  • medium- to rapid 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 heat
  • propagated by rooted stem cuttings
  • Honeysuckle Family, with no serious pest or disease problems, except for occasional cosmetic leaf spot
  • commonly available in ball and burlap from

• Foliage
  • dark green above while much paler white-green beneath, being semi-evergreen, leathery, thick, and having a rough texture with sunken veins above, with prominently large veins beneath that have a reticulate branching pattern
  • leaves are opposite, narrowly ovate to oblong, lightly serrated or entire, with an acute apex and cuneate to cordate base above a thick petiole, about 3 to 4 times as long as they are wide, and often in a tattered and ragged semi-evergreen state by early Winter
  • fall color is dark green and slowly absiscing, with the foliage remnants becoming wind-burned and a very unnattractive brown-green during the Winter

• Flowers
  • green-cream, creamy-white, or cream-brown (due to damage by late frosts) flat-topped inflorescences occur up to 4" in diameter, in late April and early May, being present for about two weeks but not showy in spite of 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 that may persist into Winter
  • fruits can be profusely borne and attractive, but are often sparse or non-existent, since a mixture of cross-pollinating shrubs from one or both parents is apparently needed in close proximity, for cross-pollination and reliable fruit set to occur in the Spring

• Twigs
  • emerging green-white, stout, and strongly scurfy-pubescent, but changing to a noticeable orange-brown by Winter
  • Winter buds are large; floral buds are prominent terminal knobs, while vegetative buds are naked and much elongated, with terminal vegetative buds much larger than the lateral buds

• Trunk
  • strongly multi-stemmed to multi-trunked, bold-textured, and very stout, with heavy branches only slightly arching with age, and old leggy trunks being supplemented with rapidly-growing basal suckers with age

• ID Summary
  • very bold-textured, stout stems that are densely pubescent (white maturing to orange-brown) 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 greenish-white inflorescences that are often frost-damaged (turning brown) in late April and early May, easily seen but not overly attractive, occasionally giving rise to reddish or black fruits in mid-Summer
  • growth is robust and upright in youth, becoming more rounded and suckering with age
  • Lantanaphyllum Viburnum is a sibling of Wayfaringtree Viburnum (Viburnum lantana), and is often confused with its parent; however, the latter has a more rounded growth habit, deciduous foliage that is 1.5 to 2 times as long as wide, inflorescences that bloom slightly later and with a fishy scent, and mature stems that are more dull brown-orange and slightly less pubescent

• Function
  • formal or informal hedge, border, entranceway, spacious foundation, utilitarian, or deciduous screen shrub, being the boldest-textured Viburnum

• Texture
  • bold texture when in foliage, semi-evergreen, or nearly deciduous
  • thick density in foliage but average density otherwise

• Assets
  • outstanding Summer foliage (leathery, dense, and dark green)
  • striking bold texture (best displayed when in Summer foliage)
  • urban tolerant, with vigorous growth
  • semi-showy green-white flowers in Spring and semi-showy red to black berries in late Summer and Autumn

• Liabilities
  • semi-evergreen foliage is tattered, wind-burned, and unattractive throughout much of the Winter
  • inflorescences are often not showy in spite of their large size, and frequently frostbitten in late April
  • fruit set is often poor to non-existent
  • easily gets out-of-bounds due to its vigorous growth
  • legginess with age, in part hidden by the basal suckers
  • inflorescences may sporadically open in Summer or early Autumn (some consider this an asset)

• Habitat
  • zones 4 to 8
  • parents of this hybrid are Wayfaringtree Viburnum (Viburnum lantana, native to Eurasia) and Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum, native to China)

• Alternates
  • bold-textured shrubs noted for their dense and relatively large foliage (Hydrangea quercifolia, Viburnum lantana, etc.)
  • utilitarian shrubs that are deciduous (Rhamnus frangula 'Columnaris', Viburnum lantana, etc.) or evergreen (Juniperus chinensis 'Spearmint', Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket', Taxus x media 'Hicksii', Thuja occidentalis 'Nigra', etc.)

• Variants
  • Viburnum x rhytidophylloides 'Alleghany' [sometimes spelled 'Allegheny'] - Alleghany Viburnum - more compact and upright-rounded in mature form, resistant to leaf spot, very attractive-foliaged, heavier fruiting, and slightly more cold-hardy; the standard cultivar of choice
  • Viburnum rhytidophyllum - Leatherleaf Viburnum - similar to its sibling except that its broadleaf foliage is evergreen, with leaf undersides and young stems having a rich, dense, orange tomentosity that is very striking; also of bold texture, but only cold-hardy to zone 6 (or marginally hardy in a wind-protected site in zone 5)

• Translation
  • Viburnum is the classical Latin name for Wayfaringtree Viburnum.
  • x rhytidophylloides denotes that the hybrid shrub has Viburnum rhytidophyllum as one of its parents.
  • The common name of Lantanaphyllum Viburnum reflects the hybridization of the specific epithet names of the parents, namely lantana and the last portion of rhytidophyllum.

• Purpose
  • Lantanaphyllum Viburnum is a semi-evergreen utilitarian, screening, or informal hedge shrub that is also one of the most bold-textured shrubs.

• Summary
  • Viburnum x rhytidophylloides is known for its upright growth habit, leathery, semi-evergreen, dense foliage, utilitarian usage, medium (yet vigorous) growth rate, and urban tolerance.