Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum
Japanese Snowball Viburnum

Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum - Shrub Habit

Family:

Adoxaceae (Moschatel Family) 51

Genus:

Viburnum (Viburnum, Dogmackie, Snowball, Arrowwood, Blackhaw) 49

Plant Type:

Shrub 467

Growth Forms:

Spreading / Branched 87

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 5 241

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 815

Flower Notes:

White (Snowball flowers appearing in spring are pendulous and have no fragrance)

Foliage Notes:

Dark green, broad-ovate shape

Stem Notes:

Dark gray or brownish, orangish lenticels.

Fruit Notes:

Bright red drupes

Ultimate Height:

8-10 feet

Ultimate Spread:

9-12 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist, well-drained soil and does not tolerate drought or heavy clay, poorly drained soils

Range:

China, Japan

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Leaves opposite, simple 2-4" long, half as wide, ovate, coarsely serrate, pubescent underneath, with impressed veins. Buds are naked. Young stems are tomentose. Flowers are all sterile (no fruits produced) and the clusters resemble snowballs (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum has flat-topped cymes of sterile and fertile flowers).

Ecological Functions:

Special Characteristics:

Flowering Characteristics 302

Additional Information

Relatively trouble-free plant. Unlike the Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum f. tomentosum), this species is sterile so it produces no fruit. One of the least drought tolerant of the Viburnums (may show leaf margin necrosis from drought in late summer). Prune on a 3-year cycle to maintain form, and never shear. Remove upright growing branches to accentuate horizontal character. Possibly the most elegant of flowering shrubs a choice specimen when placed near red.