Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

possumhaw viburnum Caprifoliaceae Viburnum nudum L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: VINU
Leaf: Opposite, simple, elliptical, 3 to 5 inches long, margins entire or with rounded teeth (crenate), somewhat thickened; shiny green above, paler below, petiole rusty scruffy.
Flower: Small, creamy white, occurring in long stemmed flat-topped, spreading clusters; appearing in spring.
Fruit: Oval drupes, that are at first pinkish and later ripening to dark blue; 1/2 inch long; occurring in hanging clusters; ripen in the fall and persist through the winter.
Twig: Slender, reddish brown, shiny; buds are valvate, slender and up to 1/2 inch long, scruffy pinkish brown; flower buds are similar but swollen.
Bark: Smooth (may have a few raised warty lenticels), gray-brown.
Form: A large shrub or small tree reaching up to 20 feet tall, with a spreading, round crown.
 Looks like: rusty blackhaw - nannyberry - blackhaw - hobblebush

possumhaw viburnum leaf image
possumhaw viburnum flower image
possumhaw viburnum fruit image
possumhaw viburnum twig image
possumhaw viburnum bark image
possumhaw viburnum form image
possumhaw viburnum map image

Additional Range Information: Viburnum nudum is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information