Viburnum macrocephalum
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- vih-BUR-num mak-roh-SEF-uh-lum
- Description
-
Chinese Snowball Viburnum is a flowering shrub native to mainland China. It grows up to 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide with a rounded vase-shaped form. The flowers are the largest of the snowball viburnums. Flowers emerge green and quickly turn to white and are sterile with no fragrance. It prefers moist acidic well-drained soils but is adaptable to to other locations. The leaves are semi-evergreen in the southernmost growing zones. Flowers appear in spring but because they are sterile there is no fruit production.
Use this plant in foundation plantings, groups or hedges. Good disease resistance.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- f. keteleeri
- f. keteleeri
- f. keteleeri
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- f. keteleeri
- f. keteleeri
- f. keteleeri
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Viburnum
- Species:
- macrocephalum
- Family:
- Viburnaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China
- Wildlife Value:
- Mildly resistant to damage by deer. Attracts butterflies.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Rounded
- Vase
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Apple green flowers mature to 3 to 8 in. white inflorescences in rounded cymes. Each floret is 1.25 inches wide and sterile.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 2-4 inch long and 1.5-2 inch wide egg-shaped dark green leaves. Undersides have star-like hairs.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
