Plant this...Not that - Mapleleaf viburnum

Mapleleaf viburnum in full bloom (Image: Georgia Native Plant Society).

Mapleleaf Viburnum

Viburnum acerifolium

Plant This!

Information by Sarah DePasquale

Abstract

Native shrubs play a key role in both a natural and curated landscapes, softening the canopy edge and offering food and shelter to birds and other wildlife. Mapleleaf viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium, fills this niche with the added benefit of eye-catching flowers and colorful fall foliage.

(Image: Dan Jaffe)

Description

Mapleleaf viburnum is a suckering shrub common in shady upland forests, ravines, and moist woods. The most shade-tolerant of all Viburnum species, it favors average to moist soils but is drought-tolerant once established. Its name comes, of course, from the shape of the leaves, which are generally three-pointed miniatures of the (unrelated) maple tree leaves. Growing 3 to 6 feet tall, mapleleaf viburnum spreads politely in the understory, making it an ideal edge plant for gardening under mature trees or a beautiful hedge backdrop for a native flower border. White clusters of delicate flowers in spring give way to purple-black fruit in late summer and early fall if the plant is fertilized by pollen from a different individual, as viburnums are not self-fertile. Fall foliage is some of the showiest of the Viburnum species, ranging from peachey pink to dark purple to flame red, depending upon weather and growing conditions.

(Image: D Stone)

Natural History

Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flower clusters in late spring, which provide pollinators with both nectar and pollen. If fertilized, these flowers develop into dark fruit that feeds migratory and overwintering songbirds, as well as a range of mammals from chipmunks to white-tailed deer. Mapleleaf viburnum is also a host plant for the spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon), providing a necessary larval food source. Humans, too, have relied upon mapleleaf and other native viburnums for food, medicine, and dye; in particular, the inner bark of V. acerifolium has a long tradition of use by the Cherokee, Menominee, Haudenosaunee, and Ojibwe nations as a remedy for digestive cramping.

Why You Should Plant This

Mapleleaf viburnum is a ready replacement for commonly used garden shrubs, offering flowers, fruit, and brilliant fall foliage. It can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions and exposure, even thriving in full sun (with ample water until established) or mostly shade. Its food value extends to a wide range of wildlife, and the branch structure offers both shelter and nesting sites for native birds. Keep in mind that many but not all Viburnum species are native; watch particularly for invasive European highbush cranberry, V. opulus, which has similarly shaped leaves but grows much taller and bears red fruit. Our mapleleaf viburnum is more delicate, with black spots on the underside of leaves. To ensure fruit set, be sure to plant distinct individuals. As viburnum can be propagated from cuttings (resulting in genetically identical individuals), source from different nurseries, or find seed-grown plants.