Scientific Name:
Viburnum opulus
var.
americanum
Pronunciation:
vye-BUR-num OP-you-lus a-mer-i-KAH-num
Common Name:
American cranberry bush, highbush cranberry
Family Name:
Viburnaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Shrub up to 4m tall; leaves opposite, irregularly dentate with 3 lobes toward the apex half of blade, most blades obovate, 13-17cm long x 12-16cm wide, pubescence usually only on underside veins, petiole with shallow grove and small glands; inflorescence hydrangea-like, outer sterile flowers about 2cm wide, petals fused at base, white, inner fertile flowers 3-4mm wide; drupes cranberry-like, most 8-11mm wide, scarlet red, edible. Winter ID: smooth grey bark, twigs glabrous, lateral buds opposite, smooth, most 8-10mm wide
Habit:
Open, Spreading, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical, Round
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
2 - 3m
Mature Spread:
2 - 3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Bog, Humus rich
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Attract butterflies, Fall interest, Group or mass planting, Hedge row, Herb, Mixed shrub border, Native planting, Reclamation, Screening, Spring interest, Summer interest, Tall background, Urban agriculture, Waterside planting, Wildlife food, Winter interest, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google (syn. V. trilobum). Compare to V. var. opulus
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Purple, Red
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Rounded, Truncate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed, Serrate
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme, Floriferous, Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Fruit Type:
Drupe, Edible
Fruit Colour:
Orange, Red
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid, Rounded or globular, Stalked
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Mildew (Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLS) Turf Field Lab South