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Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum

Viburnum rufidulum

Other common name(s):

Rusty Blackhaw, Southern Blackhaw, Blackhaw, Bluehaw, Downy Viburnum, Southern Nannyberry, Rusty Nannyberry, Nannyberry

Family:

Adoxaceae (Adoxa Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

15
to
20
ft.

Spread

10
to
15
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Deep, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Fall Color, Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees

Maintenance

Prune for shape or to raise canopy for walkways if desired. Wait to prune until right after bloom. Needs deep, well drained soils. Propagation: Seed, Semi-hardwood cuttngs.

Comments

Blooms March-May. Slow grower. Good understory tree. Glossy, dark-green, deciduous leaves turn a variety of warm hues in autumn. Flowers white, in rounded or flattened clusters up to 4” wide, which are noticeable from a distance in early spring. Provides nectar for a variety of bees and butterflies. Fruit fleshy, bluish black, favored by birds.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Viburnum prunifolium var. ferrugineum, Viburnum rufidulum var. margarettiae, Viburnum rufotomentosum

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 306. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIRU. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Viburnum+rufidulum&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=149&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=35274#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014, 9) NPSOT member input.

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Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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