This semi-evergreen, broadleaved ornamental shrub has slightly arching branches. In its youth its habit is erect, but with age, it will becomes more mounded and spreading and grows 8-10 feet tall and wide. It is a hybrid of V. rhytidophyllum and V. lantana and forms suckers with age. Flower buds form in the summer so pruning should be completed soon after flowing. The leathery wrinkled leaves are dark green with lighter undersides. The 4 inch clusters of flowers appear in spring and may have an unpleasant fragrance. They are followed by drupes that mature from red to black. A mixture of cross-pollinating shrubs from one or both parents are needed for good fruit production. Use this shrub in full sun to partial shade as a hedge, in a shrub border, or as a specimen. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No major issues. May occasionally be affected by leaf spot. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect; Mounding; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Obovate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
This plant has opposite, simple, leathery, and dark green leaves which are 4 to 8 in. long, light green below, and hold late into fall. The veins are prominent on the undersides with a reticulate branching pattern. Entire to sparsely serrated margins. Winter foliage may become windburned and browned.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
This plant has creamy white flowers on 3 to 4 in. flat-topped cyme in late April to early May. The fragrance may not be desirable. Not as showy as other viburnums.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Glossy drupes turn from green to red and then black in the fall. Fruits can be abundant, or sparse and non-existent due to the need for a mixture of cross-pollinating shrubs from one or both parents.
Bark color
Light Gray
Bark detail
Bark is light gray.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Orange; White
Stem detail
The multi-stemmed stems emerge green-white, changing to an orange-brown by winter.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Euraisa, China
Wildlife value
Attracts birds and butterflies
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Patio; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden
Design feature
Accent; Barrier; Border; Foundation Planting; Hedge; Screen/Privacy; Specimen