Viburnum opulus
Guelder Rose, Water Elder, Snowball Tree, Caor Chon, Crampbark, European Cranberrybush, European cranberry viburnum, European cranberry-bush, European highbush cranberry, Guelder-rose, Viburnum, Cranberry Viburnum, European cranberry bush, Rós Ollannach, Cranberry-tree
Description
A shrub with excellent aesthetic and environmental qualities; widely used in gardens, parks and environmental regeneration projects.
It has a bushy habit with a regular, spreading crown that reaches a height of 3 m. The linear branches tend to curve as they grow.
The leaves are deciduous, simple and opposite. The leaf blade, over 12 cm long, has three lobes with acute tips, whilst the margin is serrated and the veins prominent; dark green in colour, they turn yellow-orange with reddish hues during autumn.
The flowers, which are hermaphroditic and white, are grouped in globular, umbrella-shaped corymbs over 10 cm in diameter; those within the corymb are fertile, whilst the larger outer ones are sterile and attract insects that aid pollination. The flowering, which is very spectacular, takes place in mid-spring (May) with an abundance of ball-shaped flowers, hence the name ‘Pallon di Maggio’.
The fruits, which are inedible, are red drupes approximately 1 cm in diameter.
It has no particular soil or climate requirements as it is a very hardy plant; it thrives in partial shade and fresh, calcareous soil.
Suitable for growing and use in the open ground in the garden, as well as in pots for window boxes and on terraces.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Magnoliophyta
- Class
- Angiospermae
- Order
- Dipsacales
- Family
- Adoxaceae
- Genus
- Viburnum
- Species
- Viburnum opulus
Synonyms (15)
- Opulus edulis
- Opulus glandulosa
- Opulus oxycoccos
- Opulus palustris
- Opulus rosea
- Opulus trilobifolia
- Opulus vulgaris
- Viburnum glandulosum
- Viburnum lobatum
- Viburnum nanum
- Viburnum opuloides
- Viburnum oxycoccos
- Viburnum palustre
- Viburnum pinnina
- Viburnum primina
