New York Metropolitan Flora

Common Names

Field Identification

Food uses

Moerman, 1998

Used by Native Americans to make jelly and small cakes.

Medicinal uses

Moerman, 1998

Used by Native Americans to treat swollen glands, mumps, cramps, sore eyes, colds, fevers and as an aid for the blood, kidneys, and liver.

Other uses

Nomenclature

Description

STEMS Main stems ascending or erect, round. Bark smooth, not exfoliating, light brown or gray. Branches ascending. Twigs light brown or gray, terete, 2-4 mm in diam., smooth, glabrous, with sessile, dark orange-red glands or eglandular. Pith white, round, continuous, nodal diaphram absent. Sap translucent. For a detailed discussion of stem architecture see Donoghue, 1981. For a detailed analysis of the root anatomy see Gasson, 1979.

BUDS Axillary present (terminal buds almost never produced because the terminal vegetative shoots die back to the first pair of lateral buds; unusual among viburnums Donoghue, 1981), scattered along stem; axillary buds 1 per axil. Bud scales 2, red or green, valvate, glabrous. Leaf scars thinly crescent-shaped. Vascular bundle scars 3.

LEAVES Opposite, simple, 2 per node, spaced somewhat evenly along stem, divergent from stem. Stipules present, lateral, persistent or deciduous, adnate with the petiole, leaf-like, occasionally morphing into stalked glands; occasionally more than 2, (histological studies have shown that there occur specialized marginal meristems in the "stipules" comparable to the marginal meristems in the lobes and main axis of the blades, and provascular tissue in the center, suggesting that these "stipules" are in fact reduced leaf lobes which may produce glands at their apices Cross, 1938). Leaves petiolate, petiole furrowed, 1-3 cm long, glabrous, with 1-6 sessile or stalked large glands with disks at the distal end; occasionally with smaller red-orange sessile glands scattered throughout. Leaf blades: abaxial surface light green, adaxial surface green, bilaterally symmetric, 6-12 cm long, 6-10 cm wide, chartaceous, base obtuse or truncate, margin palmately lobed and dentate, apex acute, abaxial surface glabrous or with long and unbranched erect or spreading white hairs, sparsely to moderately densely distributed throughout; not glabrescent, dark orange-red sessile glands present or eglandular. Adaxial surface with short and unbranched appressed or spreading white hairs, sparsely distributed throughout; not glabrescent, dark orange-red or black sessile glands present or eglandular. Leaf lobes symmetrical, 3, apex acute, 1/4 - 1/2 the distance to the midvein, sinuses rounded or acute.

INFLORESCENCES Bisexual, compound, terminal umbelliform cyme; glabrous, dark orange-red glands present or eglandular. Peduncle 1.5-5 cm long, glabrous. Bracts sessile, green, linear triangular, margin ciliate, apex acute, caducous. Bracteoles 0 or 1, at base of pedicel or at apex of pedicel, bracteoles: abaxial surface light yellowish green, often streaked with rose-pink, linear triangular, margin entire, apex acute, glabrous, eglandular.

FLOWERS Serotinous, formed on last season's growth, bisexual, with sepals and petals readily distinguishable from one another, 5-merous, fragrance absent, (longer pedicled marginal flowers sterile and enlarged, often reaching anthesis before inner fertile flowers). Calyx actinomorphic, tubular, of fused sepals, persistent, abaxial and adaxial surfaces yellowish green. Tube 1.5-2 mm long, 0.75 mm wide, occasionally with sessile, dark orange-red glands. Sepal lobes 5, triangular, margin entire, apex acute, abaxial surface glabrous, eglandular. Corolla actinomorphic, of fused petals, deciduous, abaxial and adaxial surfaces white. Petal lobes 5. 1.5-2 mm long (petals on marginal sterile flowers .3-1.5 cm long), 1.5-2 mm wide, margin entire, apex obtuse, glabrous, eglandular. Gynoecium syncarpous. Carpels 1. Locules 3, 2 abortive, 1 fertile. Stigmas 1, 3-lobed on a short stylopodium at the top of the ovary. Styles 1, short, conical, glabrous. Ovary inferior. Placentation axile or parietal. Androecium epipetalous, exserted, haplostemous. Stamens 5. Anthers yellow, glabrous. Filaments straight, white, glabrous, adnate to base of petals.

FRUITS Drupe, red, ovoid, 10-12 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, glabrous, often persisting throughout the winter.

SEEDS Seeds 1, yellowish orange, lenticular, 8-10 mm long, 6-7 mm wide, glabrous, pusticulate.

Habitat

Distribution

A circumpolar species with var. americanum indigenous to northern North America and var. opulus indigenous to northern Eurasia.

United States -- CT, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD?, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR?, PA, RI, SD, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY

Canada -- MB, NB, NS, ON, QC

New York Metropolitan Region -- While both varieties can be found in the metropolitan region, the nonnative var. opulus appears to be much more prevalent.

Rarity Status

Connecticut -- Not listed

New Jersey -- S3 (var. americanum)

New York -- Not listed

Species Biology