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Viburnum acerifolium L.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Viburnum acerifolium' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/viburnum/viburnum-acerifolium/). Accessed 2023-09-24.

Common Names

  • Dockmackie

Glossary

divergent
Spreading from the centre.
glabrous
Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Viburnum acerifolium' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/viburnum/viburnum-acerifolium/). Accessed 2023-09-24.

Viburnum acerifolium

Viburnum acerifolium suckers on the forest floor (Adams County, Ohio, August 2022). Image John Grimshaw.

A deciduous bush 3 to 6 ft high; young branches at first softly downy, becoming glabrous. Leaves maple-like, three-lobed, the side lobes with divergent, slender points, all coarsely toothed, 11⁄2 to 4 in. long and about the same wide; rounded or heart-shaped at the base, with scattered down above, softly downy (especially at first) and covered with black dots beneath; stalk 1⁄2 to 1 in. long, downy. Flowers white, 1⁄5 in. in diameter, uniform and all fertile, produced during June in terminal, long-stalked cymes 2 to 3 in. across. Fruits first red, then purple-black, oval, 1⁄3 in. long.

Native of eastern N. America; introduced in 1736. Although one of the earliest introduced of American viburnums this is now very scarce in gardens; it has little beauty of flower, but is attractive in autumn for its crimson foliage. I have seen it growing along the roadsides in New Hampshire just as V. opulus does at home, but never so vigorous a shrub.

Viburnum acerifolium

Subtle autumn colours developing on Viburnum acerifolium (Yorkshire Arboretum, October 2022). Image John Grimshaw.

V orientale Pall

A native of the western Caucasus and Asia Minor, this is closely allied to V. acerifolium, but can always be distinguished by the absence of the minute black dots beneath the leaf so characteristic of the American species. It is not so downy, the hairs beneath being almost confined to the vein-axils; otherwise very similar. Rare in gardens.

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