Blackhaw Viburnum
Viburnum prunifolium

Blackhaw viburnum is a multi-stemmed shrub with large clusters of white flowers.

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A closeup of the bark of a blackhaw viburnum, which is being grown as a small tree.
Blackhaw viburnum can be grown as a small tree with a single trunk. (Photo courtesy of Douglas Goldman/iNaturalist CC BY-NC)

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Appearance

Blackhaw viburnum is a multi-stemmed shrub with an irregular crown. It can be grown as a small tree with a single trunk. It can reach heights of up to 30 feet, but it normally grows to a maximum of 12 feet. Each spring it creates white flower clusters. In the fall, it will produce yellow berries that turn to a shade of blue-black. The leaves change from green to red in the fall.

Reproduction and life cycle

  • Blackhaw viburnum produces flowers from May to June. The plant is not self-fertile so a minimum of two plants are needed for pollination. The berries form in the fall and may stay on the plant into winter.

Did you know?

  • Blackhaw viburnum is a host plant for the pink prominent moth and the green marvel moth.
  • The plants should be pruned immediately after flowering. The flower buds for the next year will start to develop in the summer. If you prune the plant too late in the year, you will cut off the buds for the next spring.
  • The name “blackhaw” is a reference to hawthorns because it was mistaken as being in the hawthorn family.

Sources and additional information

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