Chinese Snowball Viburnum Viburnum macrocephalum

Chinese snowball viburnum is a popular deciduous flowering shrub in the Viburnaceae family. It is native to mainland China and grows up to 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide with a rounded vase-shaped form. The flowers are the largest of the snowball viburnums. It is a hardy shrub from zones 6 through 9.

It prefers moist acidic well-drained soils, tolerant of pruning, and is adaptable to other locations. When pruning, keep in mind that next season's blossoms will appear on new growth.

This shrub produces profuse dome-shaped, rounded, infertile flowers in the spring and some areas produce a flush bloom in the fall. The flowers emerge chartreuse then quickly turn to white and are sterile with no fragrance. The leaves are semi-evergreen in the southernmost growing zones, opposite and pubescent with serrate margins. Since the blooms are sterile, there is no fruit production.

A variety of Viburnum macrocephalum var. keteleeri is found in the wild, and it has both sterile and fertile florets, so sometimes fruits are seen on this plant.

Use this plant as a specimen, in groups, for borders, in foundation plantings, or for informal hedges. It has good disease resistance.

Quick ID Hints:

• rounded, vase-shaped deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub
• dark green, opposite, pubescent leave with serrate margins
• pubescent stems
• dome-shaped, rounded chartreuse blooms that quickly turn white
• infertile, no fruit production

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.  The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.  

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.