A deciduous shrub with glossy green, leathery leaves, which can be grown as a shrub or pruned as a small tree. Showy flat clusters of white flowers adorn the plant March-June. Drooping clusters of blue-black fruit with red stems form in September. Many types of birds and mammals eat the fruit. Leaves turn rich burgundy in fall.
Native Plant Database
Header Photo: Mervin Wallace
Rusty Blackhaw
Viburnum rufidulum
Plant Type: Shrubs
Native Environment: Savanna / Woodland
Season of Interest: Early (Feb - Apr), Mid (May - June)
Main Color: White
Fall Color:
USDA PLANTS Range Map
At the range map link above, zoom in for county-level data

Photo: Mervin Wallace

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Medium Sun/Average Shade

Soil
Moisture
Dry, Moderate

Nature Attracting
Butterfly, Pollinators/Beneficial Insects, Songbirds

Wildlife Benefit
Butterfly / Moth Nectar, Food/Birds, Food/Pollinators, Food/Small Animals, Nesting

Animal
Resistance
Size
Height:
10 to
20
feet
Spread:
10 to
15
feet
Size
Height: 10 to
20
feet
Spread: 10 to
15
feet
Size
Height: 10 to
20
feet
Spread: 10 to
15
feet
Typical Landscape Use
Use in a mixed border, a shrub border or as an understory plant in a woodland garden. Naturalize in a hedgerow.
Establishment and Care Instructions
Plant in full sun or light shade. Will grow in rocky or dry soil as well as moist soil.
Special Features
Special Usage
Salt Tolerant
Basic Description
Where Should I Start?
Check out the Grow Native! Committee’s Top Ten picks of native plants for a particular purpose.
What’s the Next Step?
Picked out your plants? View our Resource Guide of garden centers, seed sources, landscapers, education resources, and more!
Where Can I Find This Plant in Nature?
Learn about the Native Environment(s) inhabited by the plants in this database.