Viburnum macrocephalum
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- vih-BUR-num mak-roh-SEF-uh-lum
- Description
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Chinese snowball viburnum is a flowering shrub in the Viburnaceae family and it is 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.
The flowers emerge green, quickly turn to white, and are sterile with no fragrance. It prefers moist acidic well-drained soils but is adaptable to other locations. The leaves are semi-evergreen in the southernmost growing zones. Flowers on this plant appear in spring but because they are sterile there is no fruit production. A variety Viburnum macrocephalum var. keteleeri found in the wild and it has both sterile and fertile florets, so sometimes fruits are seen on this plant.
Use this plant in foundation plantings, groups, or for informal hedges. It has good disease resistance.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
- 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
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
