Mapleleaf Viburnum (Trees and Shrubs of South Mountain Reservation)

Mapleleaf Viburnum

Viburnum acerifolium

Summary ⁶

Viburnum acerifolium, the mapleleaf viburnum, maple-leaved arrowwood or dockmackie, is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern North America from southwestern Quebec and Ontario south to northern Florida and eastern Texas.

It is a shrub growing to 3 1/4 – 6 1/2 ft tall. The leaves are in opposite pairs, 2–4 in long and broad, three- to five-lobed, the lobes with a serrated margin, and the leaf surface has a fuzzy texture. There is a diverse manifestation of autumn color with this species from pale yellow to bright yellow to orange or pink, rose, or red-purple depending on the light exposure and weather conditions. The flowers are white with five small petals. The fruit is a small red to purple-black drupe 4–8 mm (about 1/3") long. It attracts butterflies and birds.

The species' flowers are known for production of nectar and pollen which are then carried by the bee species from Andrenidae and Halictidae families as well as flies from the Empididae and Syrphidae families. The flowers also attract beetles, wasps and various butterflies (including skippers). The berries are eaten by various mammals including skunks, rabbits, deer,[6] the eastern chipmunk, white-footed mouse and deer mice.

The black berries, available from late summer to autumn, can be made into jam.

Sources and Credits

(c) Marv Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Marv Elliott
(c) Dendroica cerulea, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dendroica/9695496218/
(c) Matt Rung, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matt Rung
(c) Susan Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Susan Elliott
(c) Tom Potterfield, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/tgpotterfield/6792889954/
Adapted by Tom Pollard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_acerifolium

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