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Viburnum
 

Viburnum (Viburnum) is a genus of about 175 species of shrubs or (in a few species) small trees that were previously included in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Genetic tests by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group showed however that they are correctly classified in the moschatel family Adoxaceae.

They are native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with a few species extending into tropical montane regions in South America and southeast Asia. In Africa, the genus is confined to the Atlas Mountains.

The leaves are opposite, simple, and entire, toothed or lobed; cool temperate species are deciduous, while most of the warm temperate species are evergreen. The hairs are star-shaped.

The flowers are produced in corymbs 5-12 cm across, each flower white to cream or pink, small, 3-5 mm across, with five petals, strongly fragrant in some species. The gynoecium has 3 connate carpels with the nectary on top of the gynoecium. Some species also have a fringe of large, showy sterile flowers round the perimeter of the corymb to act as a pollinator target.

The fruit is a spherical or somewhat flattened berry, red to purple or blackish, containing a single seed; they are eaten by birds and other wildlife, and some are edible for humans (though many others are mildly poisonous to people). The leaves are sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Viburnum.

Cultivation and uses

Many species of viburnum have become popular as garden or landscape plants because of their showy flowers and berries. The hybrid Viburnum x bodnantense (V. farreri x V. grandiflorum) is particularly popular for its strongly scented pink flowers on the leafless deciduous shoots in mid to late winter. A popular evergreen species is Viburnum rhytidophyllum, grown mainly for its foliage effect of large leaves with a strongly wrinkled surface.

In prehistory, the long straight shoots of viburnums were used for arrow-shafts, as those found with Ötzi the Iceman.

Species

About 150 species are known, including the following:

Dipsacales

Snebolle (Viburnum) | Schneeball (Strauch) | Viburnum | Viburno | viorne | Viburnum | Sneeuwbal (geslacht) | Kalina (krzew) | Калина

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Viburnum".

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