Stinking Viburnum is a white flowering evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub native to Tibet and Indo-China. It reaches a size of around 10 feet tall and wide. The common name comes from the unpleasant smell emitted by the leaves when they are crushed. In late spring to early summer clusters of white flowers appear and are followed by red berries that can be eaten raw. The leaves can be variable on the same plant. Plant in moist well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Use as a foundation plant, part of a hedge or shrub border or a specimen. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases. More information on Viburnum .
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.
Fills a similar nicheViburnum macrocephalumViburnum 'Nantucket'Viburnum obovatum 'Raulston Hardy'
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 pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Obovate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Long-lasting
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
1-3 inches long by .5 to 1.5 inch wide shiny green leaves have an unpleasant fragrance when crushed. They are broadly ovate with a rounded base varying to broadly elliptic and obovate, shallowly toothed to entire, finely downy especially on the veins. Born on red stems.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tubular white petaled flowers with purple anthers in 2-3 inch clusters. Blooms May- July
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small red fruits are broadly oval to orbicular and 1⁄4 in. wide.
Bark color
Light Brown
Bark detail
Light brown bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
New branches are yellow-brownish stellate-pubescent. Older stems are purple-brown, terete, glabrous, with dispersed, small, rounded lenticels. Winter buds have 2 pairs of scales
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Tibet