A variety of viburnums, among the best-loved shrubs in Northeast gardens, are native in Greene and Ulster counties. They have showy white flower clusters, leaves that turn gold, purple or wine-red in fall and berries that attract birds.
Their common names often came from early settlers who recognized traits they found useful, such as flexible stems (withes) or edible berries (wild raisin). Different species sometimes have the same common name, making it useful to refer to their Latin names.
Both Viburnum nudum and Viburnum cassinoides, whose young stems could be used to make baskets, were called witherod. They were also dubbed wild raisin because their edible berries grew wrinkled and sweet as they dried on their stems.
Viburnum lentago, more often known as nannyberry, has also been called wild raisin. Viburnum nudum is also called possumhaw, while Viburnum prunifolium is called blackhaw. Haw, as in hawthorn, an unrelated species, is the old English word for the berries of shrubs and small trees used for hedges.
The four viburnums have differences that distinguish them as separate species. Viburnum nudum leaves are glossy, unlike viburnums which have fine hairs on their leaves. One of its common names is smooth witherod, distinguishing it from the other witherod, Viburnum cassinoides.
The leaves of Viburnum prunifolium and Viburnum lentago have fine-toothed margins, unlike the smooth leaf-margins of the other two. Though all four have edible berries that ripen to a blue-black color, the berries of nudum and cassinoides ripen at different times, so the clusters are multi-colored, pink, red, light blue and dark blue.
One of our best-known native viburnums is a cultivar of Viburnum nudum given the varietal name Winterthur for the Delaware garden where it was found growing wild. Its glossy leaves turn a bright wine-red in fall, and its dense, rounded growth habit works well in garden settings. The Winterthur viburnum won the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal in 1991.
Mapleleaf viburnum’s common name is a direct translation from its Latin name, Viburnum acerifolium. Its large leaves resemble maple leaves and turn a striking purplish-red in autumn. Its berries also ripen at different times for a multi-colored display. A woodland shrub, it thrives in dappled sunlight and part-shade.
Three of our native viburnums have flower clusters featuring showy bracts encircling the smaller fertile flowers, similar to lacecap hydrangeas: Viburnum trilobum, known as cranberry bush, Viburnum edule, known as squashberry or highbush cranberry and Viburnum lantanoides, known as hobblebush. Any could substitute for the invasive snowball viburnum, also known as guelder rose or European cranberry bush, whose red berries, too bitter for humans, are eaten by birds that deposit the seeds in forests where it displaces native vegetation.
The bright red fruit of some viburnums led people to name them after cranberries, though true cranberries are in the vaccinium genus along with blueberries and huckleberries, and aren’t related. Some people think the berries of our native cranberry viburnums have a similar tart flavor. They can be made into jams, jellies and juices. Fresh viburnum berries can sometimes cause upset stomachs if too many are eaten, so foragers should use caution.
Our native viburnums all provide nectar for butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinating insects. Most are host plants for the spring azure butterfly. When in fruit, they can attract as many as 35-40 different species of birds, ranging from robins, cardinals and catbirds to bluebirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks. Some hold their berries well into winter, a valuable food source for birds that don’t migrate.
The mature height of viburnums varies with the amount of sun or shade they receive, soil moisture and other factors. Among the smallest are squashberry, 2-9 feet tall; hobblebush, 3-10 feet; and mapleleaf, 4-6 feet. The largest are nannyberry, 15-18 feet and blackhaw, 12-15 feet. Most are slightly less wide than tall, though the arching branches of hobblebush make it wider than tall and will root where they touch soil, creating thickets.
Most viburnums grow well in sun or light shade and don’t need fertilizer. Mapleleaf is one of the most shade-tolerant. Three species, mapleleaf, nannyberry and blackhaw, will sucker, usually close to the mother plant, and can form thickets if the suckers aren’t removed. In the wild, native viburnums usually grow in moist soils near creeks and rivers. Three species, hobblebush, witherod (V. nudum), and cranberry bush (V. trilobum) need consistently moist soil, but most other viburnums can tolerate dryer garden conditions when established.
Margaret Tomlinson is a contributing writer. You can send her an email at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
