Viburnum Explained
Viburnum is a genus of about 150–175 species of flowering plants in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny.[1] It was previously included in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.
The member species are evergreen or deciduous shrubs or (in a few cases) small trees native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with a few species extending into tropical montane regions in South America and southeast Asia. In Africa, the genus is confined to the Atlas Mountains.
Name
The generic name Viburnum originated in Latin, where it referred to V. lantana.[2]
Description
The leaves are opposite, simple, and entire, toothed or lobed; cool temperate species are deciduous, while most of the warm temperate species are evergreen. Some species are densely hairy on the shoots and leaves, with star-shaped hairs.
The flowers are produced in corymbs 5–15 cm across, each flower white to cream or pink, small, 3–5 mm across, with five petals, strongly fragrant in some species. The gynoecium has three connate carpels with the nectary on top of the gynoecium. Some species also have a fringe of large, showy sterile flowers around the perimeter of the corymb to act as a pollinator target.
The fruit is a spherical, oval, or somewhat flattened drupe, red to purple, blue, or black, and containing a single seed; some are edible for humans, but many others are mildly poisonous. The leaves are eaten by the larvae of many Lepidoptera species.
Species
Around 165 species are described. A 2014 phylogenetic study proposed the following phylogenetic scheme and sections:
Lentago – Eastern North America except for V. elatum in Mexico
Punctata
- Viburnum lepidotulum Merr. & Chun
- Viburnum punctatum Buch.-Ham. Ex D. Don
Euviburnum
Pseudotinus – Asia, except V. lantanoides in Eastern North America
- V. furcatum Blume ex Hook.f. & Thomson – forked viburnum, scarlet leaved viburnum
- V. lantanoides Michx. – hobble-bush, American wayfaring tree
- V. nervosum D. Don
- V. sympodiale Graebn.
Solenotinus – Asia, extending west to India and south to Indonesia
- V. awabuki Hort.Berol. Ex K. Koch
- V. brachybotryum Hemsl.
- V. chingii P.S. Hsu
- V. corymbiflorum P.S. Hsu & S.C. Hsu
- V. erubescens Wall
- V. farreri Stearn – Farrer's viburnum
- V. foetens
- V. grandiflorum Wall. Ex DC – Himalayan viburnum
- V. henryi Hemsl.
- V. odoratissimum Ker-Gawl. – sweet viburnum
- V. oliganthum Batalin
- V. sieboldii Miq. – Siebold's viburnum
- V. subalpinum Hand.-Mazz.
- V. suspensum Lindl. – Sandankwa viburnum
- V. taitoense Hayata
Lutescentia (excluding Tomentosa)
- V. amplifolium
- V. colebrookeanum Wall. Ex DC
- V. garrettii
- V. junghunii
- V. laterale
- V. lutescens Blume
- V. pyramidatum
Tomentosa – China, Japan
Amplicrenotinus (excluding Crenotinus)
Urceolata
- V. taiwanianum Hayata
- V. urceolatum Siebold & Zucc.
Tinus – Asia, except V. tinus in Europe
Corisuccotinus (excluding Succotinus and Coriaceae)
- V. acerifolium L. – maple-leaf viburnum
- V. kansuense Batalin
- V. orientale Pall.
Succotinus
- V. adenophorum W.W. Sm.
- V. annamensis Fukouoka
- V. betulifolium Batalin
- V. brachyandrum Nakai
- V. corylifolium Hook.f. & Thomson
- V. dilatatum Thunberg – linden viburnum
- V. erosum Thunberg
- V. flavescens W.W. Sm.
- V. foetidum (Graebn.) Rehder
- V. formosanum Hayata
- V. hupehense Rehder
- V. ichangense Rehder
- V. integrifolium Hayata
- V. japonicum Spreng
- V. lobophyllum
- V. luzonicum Rolfe
- V. melanocarpum Hsu in Chen et al.
- V. mullaha Buch.-Ham. Ex D.Don
- V. parvifolium Hayata
- V. sempervirens K. Koch
- V. setigerum M.J. Donoghue – tea viburnum
- V. tashiroi Nakai
- V. wrightii Miquel – Wright's viburnum
Coriaceae
- V. coriaceum Blume
- V. cylindricum Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don
- V. hebanthum Wight & Arn.
Sambucina
- V. beccarii Gamble
- V. hispidulum J. Kern
- V. inopinatum Craib.
- V. sambucinum Reinew. Ex Blume
- V. vernicosum Gibbs
- V. ternatum Rehder
Opulus – Circumboreal
Mollotinus
Dentata – Mexico, Caribbean, and Central and South America
Oreinotinus – Mexico, Caribbean, and Central and South America
- V. acutifolium Benth.
- V. caudatum Greenm.
- V. costaricanum (Oerst.) Hemsl.
- V. discolor Benth.
- V. disjunctum C.V. Morton
- V. divaricatum
- V. jamesonii (Oerst.)Killip & A.C. Sm.
- V. jucundum C.V. Morton
- V. lautum C.V. Morton
- V. loeseneri Graebn.
- V. stellato-tomentosum (Oerst.) Hemsl.
- V. stenocalyx Hemsl.
- V. sulcatum (Oerst.) Hemsl.
- V. toronis Killip & A.C. Sm.
- V. triphyllum Benth. – chuchua, chuque
Undetermined
Formerly placed here
Cultivation and uses
Many species of viburnum have become popular as garden or landscape plants because of their showy flowers and berries, fragrance, and good autumn colour of some forms. Some popular species, hybrids, and cultivars include:[4]
- The hybrid Viburnum × bodnantense (V. farreri × V. grandiflorum) is particularly popular for its strongly scented pink flowers on the leafless deciduous shoots in mid- to late winter.
- Viburnum × burkwoodii (V. carlesii × V. utile)
- Viburnum × carlcephalum (V. carlesii × V. macrocephalum)
- Viburnum carlesii has round white flowerheads, strong fragrance, dense structure, and reddish leaves in autumn.
- Viburnum davidii is an evergreen species from China with blue fruit.
- Viburnum dentatum has flat-topped flowers, bluish fruit, and reddish leaves in autumn. It is somewhat salt-tolerant. The cultivar 'Blue Muffin' is more compact than the species and has fruit that are a deeper blue than the species.
- Viburnum dilatatum has flat-topped flowers, reddish leaves in autumn, and bright red fruit that persist into winter.
- Viburnum × jackii - Jack's viburnum
- Viburnum × juddii (V. bitchiuense × V. carlesii)
- Viburnum plicatum has white flowers, textured leaves, reddish-black fruit, and can grow quite large under ideal conditions. The species can tolerate shade, but not drought.
- Viburnum × (V. rhytidophyllum × V. utile)
- Viburnum × rhytidophylloides (V. lantana × V. rhytidophyllum)popular evergreen shrub, drought resistant. Shiny green leafs, white flowers.
- Viburnum rhytidophyllum is a popular evergreen species, grown mainly for its foliage effect of large, dark green leathery leaves with strongly wrinkled surface. This is the parent species of two popular hybrid cultivars known as 'Alleghany' and '
Notes and References
- 10.3732/ajb.92.4.653 . Viburnum phylogeny based on combined molecular data: implications for taxonomy and biogeography . 2005 . Winkworth, R. C. . American Journal of Botany . 92 . 653–66 . Donoghue . M. J. . 4 . 21652443 . 5985489 . free.
- Book: Quattrocchi, Umberto . CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology . IV R-Z . 2000 . Taylor & Francis US . 978-0-8493-2678-3 . 2793.
- Web site: GRIN Species Records of Viburnum . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2010-11-04.
- Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan .
