Virginia Tech Dendrology

wayfaringtree viburnum Caprifoliaceae Viburnum lantana L. symbol: VILA
Leaf: Opposite, simple, deciduous (may be tardily so), broadly ovate, 2 to 5 inches long, uniformly coarse-serrate, rather thick and leathery, dark green above with sunken veins, pale pubescent beneath and on the petiole, purple-red fall color.
Flower: Showy, displayed in 3 to 5 inches flat-top dense clusters of tiny creamy white flowers, each with 5 petals, very fragrant, appearing in spring.
Fruit: Elliptical drupes displayed in terminal clusters, each 1/3 inch long, somewhat flattened, green to red and finally black.
Twig: Medium texture, scruffy gray-brown with obvious pubescence; vegetative buds are naked, stalked and scruffy gray-brown; flower buds bulbous.
Bark: Initially smooth and gray-brown and lenticelled, becoming somewhat scaly.
Form: Rounded multistem shrub to 15 feet.
Looks like: linden viburnum - leatherleaf viburnum - hobblebush - Koreanspice viburnum

Additional Range Information: Viburnum lantana is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 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