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Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatum

  • Arrowwood Viburnum bush - Viburnum dentatum
  • Arrowwood Viburnum - Viburnum dentatum
  • Arrowwood Viburnum - Viburnum dentatum
  • Arrowwood Viburnum - Viburnum dentatum
A multi-stemmed, rounded shrub with creamy white late spring or early summer flowers. Leaves are lustrous, dark green in summer changing to yellow to glossy red and reddish- purple in the fall. Flowers are followed by ½" blue-black berries that ripen in early fall. This shrub provides food, cover, and nesting sites for birds, and larval food for butterflies and moths. Grows 6'-15 high with a comparable spread. Prefers well-drained soils and full sun to partial shade.

Hardiness Zones

The arrowwood viburnum can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 3–8. View Map

Tree Type

Mature Size

The arrowwood viburnum grows to a height of 6–15', with an equal spread, at maturity.

Growth Speed Medium Growth Rate

This shrub grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24" per year.

Sun Preference

Full sun and partial shade are best for this shrub, meaning it prefers a minimum of 4 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.

Soil Preference

The arrowwood viburnum grows in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well-drained and clay soils.

Attributes

This shrub:
  • Produces creamy white flowers in flat-topped clusters that are 2–4" in diameter and bloom from May to early June.
  • Yields ½" blue-black drupes that appear after the flowers and ripen in the early fall.
  • Features lustrous dark green leaves with coarsely toothed margins that provide lovely fall color, turning yellow, glossy red or reddish-purple.
  • Grows in an irregular, rounded shape.

Wildlife Value

It forms dense thickets and provides excellent cover and nesting sites. Birds consume the abundant fruits. It attracts Red Admiral, Eastern Comma and Question Mark butterflies and is larval plant food for the spring azure butterfly and hummingbird moth.

History/Lore

The arrowwood viburnum is native from New Brunswick to Minnesota, south to Georgia. The name arrowwood comes from Native Americans using the strong shoots which developed from the roots for the shafts of their arrows.