Habitat

• native to eastern United States
• cold hardy to zone 3

Habit and Form

• a dense, multistemmed shrub
• 5' to 6' tall
• equal spread
• dense, rounded crown
• arching branches
• medium texture
• moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

• opposite leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• elliptic leaf shape
• 1.5" to 3.5" long
• new growth reddish
• dull green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• red to purple fall color
• showy

Flowers

• creamy white flowers
• borne in 2" to 5" flat-topped cymes,
• blooms in late June
• showy

Fruit

• pink fruit, changing to black
• matures in September

Bark

• brown stems
• rough
• nondescript

Culture

• very easy to grow
• full sun to partial shade
• soil adaptable from dry to fairly wet
• easily transplanted

Landscape Use

• useful for its extreme durability
• border
• screen
• naturalizing
• parking lots
• mass plantings and groupings
• to attract birds
• provides a nice neutral effect in the landscape
• difficult sites

Liabilities

• free from serious problems
• may need occasional rejuvenation pruning

ID Features

• opposite leaves
• blue-black fruits in flat clusters
• dense, twiggy, suckering habit
• flat clusters of small creamy white flowers
• valvate flower buds similar to V. lentago
• vegetative buds valvate, long and narrow

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

var. angustifolium - This variant grows slower and more open than the species, though its most notable feature is the elongated, more narrow leaves.

'Deep Pink' - This selection features deep pink fruit and was discovered in Maine by Connecticut nurseryman, Mike Johnson.

The following are selections of Viburnum nudum, a species closely allied to V. cassinoides that some authorities include with the species.

'Count Pulaski' - This open-growing plant offers larger, glossy leaves and wonderful fruit that pass through shades of pink, lavender, blue and black.

'Winterthur' - A recent introduction that has become popular, this is a dense shrub that bears glossy leaves and ample quantities of colorful fruit.