Carolina Nature

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Dipsacales>Caprifoliaceae>Viburnum rufidulum Rafinesque

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Rusty Blackhaw is an uncommon small tree of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain in North Carolina, distinguished from the similar and more common Blackhaw (V. prunifolium) by its lustrous upper leaf surfaces and rusty hairs.

Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/2011.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Other common names include Blue Haw (from the bluish fruits) and Southern Black Haw.

Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/2011.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Showy creamy-white flower clusters appear in mid-spring, generally a week or two later than Blackhaw.

Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/2011.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

The flowers are arranged in a flat-topped compound cyme.

Wake Co., NC 4/26/04.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Detail of the densely pubescent rusty-colored terminal buds.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

The leaves are rusty-hairy underneath.

Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

The bark is rough and blocky.

Viburnum and Sambucus (elderberry) are sometimes split off from the Caprifoliaceae into the Adoxaceae.

 

More information:
Floridata
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
USDA PLANTS
Virginia Tech Dendrology
Wildflower.org

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