possumhaw viburnum Caprifoliaceae Viburnum
nudum L.
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