← Bedfellow

Mapleleaf Viburnum

Viburnum acerifolium

A modest understory shrub that quietly solves dry shade, thriving under mature oaks where almost nothing else will. Flat white flower clusters give way to blue-black drupes, and the maple-shaped leaves turn a soft pink to rose-purple in fall — an unusual color in the autumn woods. It hosts over a hundred caterpillar species.

Family

Viburnaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

3–6 ft

Spacing

2–4 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

April, May, June, July, August

Bloom colors

white

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~104 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

foundation, hedge or screen, naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV