Viburnum carlesii
Credits
Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles
Recommended citation
'Viburnum carlesii' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Infraspecifics
Other taxa in genus
- Viburnum acerifolium
- Viburnum atrocyaneum
- Viburnum betulifolium
- Viburnum × bodnantense
- Viburnum buddleifolium
- Viburnum burejaeticum
- Viburnum × burkwoodii
- Viburnum × carlcephalum
- Viburnum cassinoides
- Viburnum cinnamomifolium
- Viburnum cotinifolium
- Viburnum cylindricum
- Viburnum dasyanthum
- Viburnum davidii
- Viburnum deamii
- Viburnum dentatum
- Viburnum dilatatum
- Viburnum edule
- Viburnum erosum
- Viburnum erubescens
- Viburnum farreri
- Viburnum foetidum
- Viburnum 'Fulbrook'
- Viburnum furcatum
- Viburnum × globosum
- Viburnum grandiflorum
- Viburnum harryanum
- Viburnum henryi
- Viburnum × hillieri
- Viburnum hupehense
- Viburnum japonicum
- Viburnum 'Juddii'
- Viburnum kansuense
- Viburnum lantana
- Viburnum lantanoides
- Viburnum lentago
- Viburnum lobophyllum
- Viburnum macrocephalum
- Viburnum molle
- Viburnum mullaha
- Viburnum nudum
- Viburnum odoratissimum
- Viburnum 'Oneida'
- Viburnum opulus
- Viburnum orientale
- Viburnum parvifolium
- Viburnum phlebotrichum
- Viburnum plicatum
- Viburnum plicatum cultivars
- Viburnum 'Pragense'
- Viburnum propinquum
- Viburnum prunifolium
- Viburnum rafinesqueanum
- Viburnum recognitum
- Viburnum × rhytidocarpum
- Viburnum × rhytidophylloides
- Viburnum rhytidophyllum
- Viburnum rufidulum
- Viburnum rugosum
- Viburnum sargentii
- Viburnum schensianum
- Viburnum setigerum
- Viburnum sieboldii
- Viburnum suspensum
- Viburnum sympodiale
- Viburnum tinus
- Viburnum treleasei
- Viburnum trilobum
- Viburnum utile
- Viburnum veitchii
- Viburnum wrightii
A deciduous shrub of rounded habit, 4 to 8 ft high; young shoots densely clothed with starry down. Leaves broadly ovate, with often a slightly heart-shaped base, pointed, irregularly toothed, 1 to 31⁄2 in. long, 3⁄4 to 21⁄2 in. wide, dull green above, greyish below, both surfaces soft with starry down; stalk about 1⁄4 in. long. Inflorescence a terminal, rounded cluster 2 to 3 in. across, composed of very fragrant flowers, all fertile. It reaches the bud state in autumn, and remains exposed through the winter, the flowers expanding in April and May. Corolla 1⁄2 in. across, at first pink then white, with a slender tube 1⁄3 in. long. Fruits jet-black, 1⁄4 in. long, egg-shaped but flattened. Bot. Mag., t. 8114.
Native-of Korea and of Tsushima Island, Japan; described in 1885 from a specimen collected by W. R. Carles of the British Consular Service, who explored in Korea 1883–5. It was introduced from Korea to Japan around 1897 by Alfred Unger of L. Boehmer and Co. of Yokohama. A single plant was sent to Kew by this firm in 1902, which represented its first introduction to Europe; it flowered in the open ground at Kew in 1906. But the species was apparently first distributed in Europe by Messrs Lemoine, who announced in 1905 that they had bought Messrs Boehmer’s entire stock.
V. carlesii is one of the most delightful of the viburnums, not only for the beauty of its flowers, but for a fragrance unrivalled for sweetness in the genus. But it is now overshadowed by its hybrids; see below and V. × burkwoodii.
The following selections of V. carlesii were raised from Korean seed at the Slieve Donard Nursery, Co. Down:
'Aurora'
Flowers red in the bud, opening pure light pink. Young leaves light green, some flushed with copper.'Charis'
Rather more vigorous than the older forms of V. carlesii. Flowers white.
'Diana'
Open flowers pink, with a slightly more purplish tone than in ‘Aurora’. It is also a little more vigorous. Young leave slight chocolate-coloured.var. bitchiuense (Makino) Nakai
Synonyms
Viburnum carlesii var. syringiflorum Hutch.
Relatively narrower, ovate or oblong, obtuse leaves than the species, sometimes slightly cordate at the base. A further botanical difference has been given, namely that the stamens are inserted on the lower one-quarter to one-third of the tube and have filaments twice as long as the anthers, while in the nominate variety the stamens are inserted around the midpoint of the tube and the filaments are shorter than the anthers. As the two varieties are usually seen in gardens, var. bitchiuense is a taller shrub than var. carlesii, of more open habit, to about 8 ft high and as much in width, its laxer inflorescences are slightly smaller and the corollas narrower across the limb with a longer tube.
Native of southern Japan and Korea; described in 1902. It was introduced to Britain about 1911 as “V. carlesii”, regarded as an inferior form. It was at one time used by Japanese export nurseries as a stock for var. carlesii and often the scion was dead by the time the plants arrived in this country. In this way poor forms were introduced to gardens. Eventually selections arrived, which proved to be almost as fine as the nominate variety.