Nomenclature

Common Name:

southern arrowwood

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Viburnum dentatum

Family:

Adoxaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

6-8 (12) ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

blue

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms spring-early summer. Fruits ripen in late summer-fall. Life span about 50 yrs (Nelson).

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant. Screen plant or understory shrub.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed and divisions.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

mildly acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for the spring azure butterfly ( Celastrina ladon ).





Both native and non-native viburnums ( Viburnum spp.) attract a wide range of pollinators with strong scents that promise either a nectar or pollen reward. Scarab beetles of the genus Cetonia are particularly interesting viburnum pollinators, possessing branched hairs on their bodies that are similar to pollen-collecting hairs found on bees. These hairs ensure a better chance of cross-pollination for self-sterile viburnum species. Viburnums with long corolla tubes and sweet scents are most often pollinated by species belonging to the order Lepidoptera, while viburnums with shorter corolla tubes and muskier odors receive frequent visits from flies and small bees. This relationship corresponds to the size of the insect mouthparts. Most viburnums produce very little nectar despite the wide range of pollinators..  The primary reward, at least for bees, is not nectar but pollen ( Arnold Arboretum ).

Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. 

Native Habitats:

Mesic to dry-mesic woods. Areas of shallow to moderate inundation, along stream and river banks, swamps, swamp borders, fertile uplands, titi swamps, secondary woods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Indigenous peoples used the suckers, which are long and straight as shafts for their arrows.

General Comments: