Viburnum Viburnum odoratissimum
INTRODUCTION
Large, leathery, dark green, glossy leaves
and clusters of extremely fragrant, small,
white flowers, completely covering the
plant in springtime, make Sweet Viburnum
a longtime landscape favorite. The large,
dull green leaves form a moderately coarse
texture. For some reason, it has fallen
out of favor as a small tree in recent
years. This adaptable tree should be ‘rediscovered’ by
landscape architects and others specifying
small trees for urban and suburban landscapes.
Often used as a screen or clipped hedge,
its dense, spreading, evergreen habit makes
Sweet Viburnum suitable for use as a small
tree, reaching 25 to 30 feet tall and wide
at maturity, with a dense, multibranched,
rounded canopy. The flowers are often followed
by small, red berries which turn black
when ripe and are moderately showy.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Scientific name: Viburnum odoratissimum
Pronunciation: vye-BER-num oh-duh-ruh-TISS-ih-mum
Common name(s): Sweet Viburnum
Family: Caprifoliaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 8B through 10A
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: container or above-ground planter; hedge;
large parking lot islands (> 200 square
feet in size); wide tree lawns (>6 feet
wide); medium-sized parking lot islands (100-200
square feet in size); medium-sized tree lawns
(4-6 feet wide); recommended for buffer strips
around parking lots or for median strip plantings
in the highway; near a deck or patio; screen;
shade tree; small parking lot islands (< 100
square feet in size); narrow tree lawns (3-4
feet wide); specimen; sidewalk cutout (tree
pit); residential street tree; tree has been
successfully grown in urban areas where air
pollution, poor drainage, compacted soil, and/or
drought are common
Availability: somewhat available, may have
to go out of the region to find the tree
DESCRIPTION
Height: 25 to 30 feet
Spread: 15 to 25 feet
Crown shape: round
Crown density: dense
Growth rate: slow
Texture: medium
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: opposite/subopposite
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: entire; serrate
Leaf shape: elliptic (oval)
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: broadleaf evergreen;
evergreen
Leaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches; 2 to 4 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy
Flower
Flower color: white
Flower characteristics: pleasant fragrance;
showy; spring flowering
Fruit
Fruit shape: round
Fruit length: < .5 inch
Fruit covering: fleshy
Fruit color: black; red
Fruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife;
inconspicuous and not showy; no significant
litter problem
Trunk and Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: bark is thin and easily
damaged from mechanical impact; routinely
grown with, or trainable to be grown with,
multiple trunks; grow mostly upright and
will not droop; not particularly showy;
no thorns
Pruning requirement: requires pruning to develop
strong structure
Breakage: resistant
Current year twig thickness: thick
Culture
Light requirement: tree grows in part shade/part
sun; tree grows in the shade; tree grows
in full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic;
alkaline; well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: low
Soil salt tolerance: poor
Other
Roots: surface roots are usually not a problem
Winter interest: no special winter interest
Outstanding tree: not particularly outstanding
Invasive potential: little, if any, potential
at this time
Verticillium wilt susceptibility: susceptible
Pest resistance: long-term health usually not
affected by pests
USE AND MANAGEMENT
Sweet Viburnum grows quickly in full sun or
partial shade on a wide variety of soils.
It is tolerant to drought, holding up very
well in unirrigated landscapes once established.
Relatively maintenance free, Sweet Viburnum
grown as a tree will require pruning to
control size and shape. A nice, neat, compact
canopy develops without any training. Interior
sprouts and branches need to be removed
to make the trunk show. Only lower branches
need removal to allow for pedestrian and
vehicle clearance beneath the crown. This
would be a good tree for planting along
a street where power lines or other obstructions
limit overhead space. Nurseries should
be encouraged to grow this adaptable plant
as a tree form in addition to the shrub
form commonly available. It can be trained
to one trunk or grown as a multistemmed
specimen. The cultivar ‘Emerald Lustre’ has
larger leaves and ‘Nanum’ is
a dwarf form. Viburnum odoratissimum var.
awabuki has large glossy leaves and flower
panicles, and beautiful red berries. Propagation
is by cuttings or layerings.
Pests
This tree is usually fairly pest-free. Viburnum
aphid is gray to dark green and feeds in
clusters at the tips of the branches, causing
leaf curl. The insects can be dislodged
with the high pressure water spray from
the garden hose. They usually cause littleor
no appreciable damage. Inspect the stems
of unhealthy-looking plants for possible
scale infestations. If found, spray with
horticultural oil for some control. Sweet
Viburnum is also infested by thrips, mites,
white-fly, bagworms, and sooty mold, but
none are normally serious.
Diseases
Bacterial leafspot causes round, water-soaked
spots on leaves and young stems. These
develop into shrunken, brown areas about
1/8-inch in diameter. Destroy infected
leaves. Bacterial crown gall forms galls
on the lower stems. Do not replant in the
same spot. Shoot blight causes grayish
to brown decayed spots on the leaves. The
spots first appear at the leaf margins,
then spread to the rest of the leaf. Infected
flower clusters or twigs are killed. A
number of fungi cause leaf spots. Leaf
spots are not usually serious diseases.
Rake up and destroy infected leaves, if
you wish. Downy mildew and powdery mildew
cause a white powdery growth on the leaves
but usually cause only cosmetic damage
of little consequence.
by Edward F. Giman and Dennis G. Watson
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