VIBURNUM 



VIBURNUM 



3457 



turn are very handsome in bloom. Varieties with all the 

 flowers of the cymes sterile and enlarged are known in 

 the case of V. 'Opulus, V. tomentosum, and V. macro- 

 cephalum, the common, the Japanese and the Chinese 

 snowballs; all these are very showy. One of the most 

 charming in bloom is V. CanuK on account of its rather 

 large pink-and-white and deliciously fragrant flowers 

 which appear in dense clusters early in spring before or 

 with the leaves; almost all other species bloom after 

 the leaves. The foliage of most species turns purple or 

 red in fall, that of V. Opulus, V. americanum, and V. 

 acerifolium being especially brilliant. V. dUatatum 

 assumes a dull yellow color. V. macrocephalum and V. 

 Sieboldii keep the bright green of their foliage until late 

 in autumn. The viburnums are not very particular as 

 to soil and position, but most of them prefer a rather 

 moist and sunny situation. Some, as F. acerifolium, V. 

 Lantana, V. dilatatum, V. Tinus, V. pubescens, and V. 

 prunifolium. grow well in drier places, while V. oZni- 

 folium and V. pauciflorum require shade and a porous 

 soil of constant moisture. V. acerifolium does well under 

 the shade of trees in rocky and rather dry soil. V. 

 - is often grown in pots and thrives in any good 

 loamy and sandy soil. With a little heat it may be 

 forced into bloom at any time in the winter; if not 

 intended for forcing, it requires during the winter a 

 temperature only a little above the freezing-point and 

 even an occasional slight frost will not hurt it. The com- 

 mon and the Japanese snowball are also sometimes 

 forced and require the same treatment in forcing as 

 other hardy shrubs. 



Propagation is by seeds sown in fall or stratified; 

 also by greenwood cuttings under glass, especiallly 

 V. tomentosum, V. macrocephalum, V. venosum, V. cas- 

 sinoides, and the evergreen species; V. dentatum and 

 V. Opulus and its allies grow readily from hardwood 

 cuttings and all species can be increased by layers; 

 grafting is also sometimes practised, and V. Opulus, V. 

 dentatum, and V. Lantana are used as stock. 



3918. Viburnum Sieboldii. ( X %) 



The familiar snowball is seriously attacked by aphids. 

 Fortunately its place can be taken by a Japanese species 

 that is even more satisfactory. "(Fig. 3923.) The 

 berries of its fertile type, V. tomentosum, are a bril- 

 liant scarlet, changing" to black. The foliage of this 

 snowball is also remarkably beautiful. The leaves are 

 olive-green with brownish purple or bronzy margins, 

 and their plicate character makes them very distinct 

 and attractive. The bush is entirely free from insect 



pests. The single and double forms of the Japanese spe- 

 cies differ as shown in Figs. 3922 and 3923. Unfortu- 

 nately these "single" and "double" forms have been con- 

 fused in many nurseries, and only the trained eye can 

 tell them apart in the nursery row. The double or snow- 

 ball t3*pe is, of course, the one destined to the greater popu- 

 larity, though the single form is a shrub of great value, 

 especially for large estates and parks. The double form 

 is known to nurseries as V. plicatum, but its proper name 

 is V. tomentosum var. plenum. While it is hardy in New 

 England, it is not a shrub that can be transplanted as 

 easily as many other species. Hence it should be trans- 

 planted every second year in the nursery until it is sold. 

 The double form may be propagated by cuttings of 

 half-ripened wood in close frames, or by layers, which 

 in some soils would better remain two years. French 

 nurserymen propagate it by layering. The layers seem 

 to suffer from winter and, to be on the safe side, it is 

 best to cover them well with moss or leaves when the 

 ground is somewhat frozen, so that the frost may be 

 kept in until spring. The clusters are about as big as 

 oranges and pure white. They are in great demand for 

 Decoration Day in New York. The single form, unlike 

 the double, is easily transplanted. It is also readily 

 propagated by layers or cuttings. Both kinds are hardy 

 in the North and make compact bushes 6 to 8 feet high. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Lvs. penninerted, not Icbed. 



B. Cymes paniculate, broadly pyramidal 

 or semi-globose. 



c. Foliage deciduous 1. Sieboldii 



cc. Foliage evergreen. 



D. Corolla with cylindrical tube 2. suspensum 



DD. Corolla rotate-cam panulate 3. odoratissi- 



BB. Cymes umbel-like, flat (except in the [mum 



snowball forms. SeeNos.12,16,28.) 



c. Secondary reins curving and 



anastomosing before reaching 



the margin: margin entire or 



finely serrate. 



D. Branches and Irs. glabrous, hir- 

 sute, or scurfy. 

 E. Foliage persistent, entire. 

 F. Branches and hs. glabrous 



or slightly pubescent. ... 4. Tinus 

 FF. Branches and Its. hirsute.. 5. rigidum 

 EE. Foliage deciduous or half- 



erergreen. 



. Lvs. entire or slightly undu- 

 late-dentate. 



G. Cymes sessile: Its. small. 6. obovatum 

 GO. Cymes peduncled. 



