Cranberrybush Viburnums 1 Viburnum opulus - European Cranberrybush (Adoxaceae) Viburnum trilobum - American Cranberrybush (Adoxaceae) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viburnum opulus is primarily known through its various cultivars. The most common is 'Compactum'. European Cranberrybush has showy creamy-white Fruits inflorescences in spring, red berries throughout -green globular autumn, and bold texture with raisin-like fruits in immature fruits of winter. summer mature to pendulous clusters FEATURES of bright cherry-red Form fruits in late Aug., -medium- to large-sized persistent and ornamental shrub (cultivars attractive are smaller) throughout autumn, -species form matures at then shriveling and fading in winter, and remaining about 10' tall x 10' wide, into the following spring as droopy raisins (if not although sometimes larger consumed by wildlife, primarily the birds) -upright oval growth habit Twigs in youth, becoming arching -stems are medium green and lightly grooved in and spreading with age summer, maturing to a light tan in winter, very stout -medium growth rate and straight, sparsely branched when young, having Culture winter buds that are large, smooth, very shiny, and -full sun to partial shade red-brown -highly adaptable to permanently moist to wet soils, Trunk dry soils, poor soils, soils of various pH, heat, -trunks are stout, upright, and straight when young, drought, and pollution becoming slightly ridged, furrowing, and arching -pests: black aphids and black ants (cosmetically with maturity unattractive, at the terminus of the new shoots) and borers (damaging to individual mature stems); a USAGE disease (stem blight) may also occur, causing wilting Function and dieback of the terminal growth -formal or informal hedge, border, entranceway, -commonly available in B&B form foundation, or specimen shrub, often in group Foliage plantings -medium to dark green, opposite, Texture ovate, trilobed, and deeply -medium in foliage and bold when bare incised, about 3" long x 3" wide, -average density in foliage and open when bare with acute apices and a truncate Assets base -4 cultivars with excellent attributes, namely: -concave glands are often present on the upper •creamy-white flowers in late spring and red berries petiole, giving it a warty appearance upon close in autumn for 'Compactum' inspection •creamy-white flowers in late spring and golden -overall shape resembles a trilobed Maple leaf, while berries in autumn for 'Xanthocarpum' autumn color is often green then abscised, but may •ultra-showy, sterile snowball flowers in spring for have tinges of purple or red 'Roseum' Flowers •attractive foliage on a facer shrub for 'Nanum' -white, in late -bird attraction in winter (for the fruiting forms) May and early -urban tolerant June, as flat- Liabilities topped -aphid and ant infestation in late spring and early inflorescences to summer is unsightly on the new stem growth when 3" in diameter, viewed up-close, but is not harmful to the plant composed of an -borers and/or blight will sometimes cause individual outer ring of stems to die back all the way to the ground as the white sterile shrub reaches maturity flowers that open first, followed by the inner disc of -habit can become large, open, and gangly with age, creamy fertile flowers and in need of pruning for shaping or rejuvenation Cranberrybush Viburnums 2 Habitat spherical shape to the inflorescence, emerging light- -Zones 3 to 8 green and changing to white, becoming pendulous, -Native to Eurasia and North Africa highly attractive as masses of globular inflorescences among the expanded foliage, and persistent into summer as faded bracts; to 10' x 10' SELECTIONS -V. opulus 'Xanthocarpum' - golden-fruited form to Alternates 8' x 8' -shrubs with showy red berries in autumn and winter -Viburnum trilobum - American Cranberrybush - its (Aronia arbutifolia, Cotoneaster apiculatus, Ilex cultivars are considered superior to V. opulus verticillata, Viburnum trilobum, etc.) 'Compactum' in terms of their abundant red fruits -shrubs with a combination of sterile and fertile (hold their color and turgor longer into winter) and flowers on the same inflorescence (Hydrangea autumn color (red-orange, red, or burgundy); its species, Viburnum sargentii, V. trilobum, etc.) trilobed leaves are much less incised than Euoropean Cultivars – Variants – Related species Cranberrybush, with sharply acuminate lobes; the -V. opulus 'Compactum' - the standard red-fruiting warty glands on the upper petiole are convex and cultivar, being more compact (to 8' x 8'), densely slightly stalked; to zone 2 in cold flowering, and densely-fruited hardiness, maturing at about 10' x -'Nanum' - Dwarf European Cranberrybush - slowly 10', but not performing well in growing to 3' x 3', densely foliaged with essentially moist to wet sites no flowers or fruits; new leaves emerge red-bronzed and rapidly change to dark green, often used as a facer shrub or dwarf shrub where foliage is the primary consideration -V. opulus 'Roseum' (also known as 'Sterile') - sterile flowers have many showy bracts creating an overall.