THE SHEEPBERRY OR SWEET VIBURNUM 



OF all the trees and shrubs to be found in our fields and woods none is easier to 

 distinguish in winter than the Sheepberry, Nannyberry, or Sweet Viburnum 

 The long, slender, reddish-brown, scurfy buds are unique; the terminal ones 

 that are to develop blossoms are swollen at the base in the characteristic manner shown 

 in the twig pictured on the plate. At other seasons the species can also be readily known; 

 in summer the leaf-stems have winged margins and the tips of the blades are somewhat 

 acuminate ; the small whitish flowers which blossom in spring or early summer are clustered 

 in fragrant flattened cymes, and are succeeded by the characteristic bluish-black, oblong, 

 more or less flattened fruits, generally having a glaucous bloom over the surface, which 

 are about one-half inch long and ripen early in autumn. These fruits are freely eaten by 

 a considerable variety of birds. The species is widely distributed in eastern North America, 

 occurring as far west as Wyoming and Nebraska. In its best estate it is an attractive tree 

 about twenty-five feet high, but more commonly it is a shrub growing along stone walls 

 and the borders of the forest. 



"There is a softness and richness about the flowers and foliage of the Sweet 

 Viburnum," wrote George B. Emerson in his classic report on the Trees and Shrubs of 

 Massachusetts, "which distinguish it above all others of the same genus. It is hardly 

 less beautiful in fruit, from the profusion of the rich blue berries hanging down among the 

 curled leaves, which are beginning to assume the beautiful hues of autumn. A tree of 

 this kind makes a fine appearance at the angle of a walk, or in the corner of a garden, as its 

 delicacy invites a near approach, and rewards examination. With this delicacy of appear- 

 ance it is a hardy plant, and may sometimes be seen on a bleak hillside, where it has 

 encountered the northwest winds for a score of years." 



More than thirty distinct species of Viburnum are discussed in the "Cyclopedia 

 of Horticulture:" more than one-third of these are native to North America. In addition 

 to the Nannyberry the most important tree-forms are the Rusty Nannyberry (V. 

 rufidulwm) , a Southern species, and the Black Haw or Stag Bush (V. prunifolium) . There 

 are a number of interesting shrubs belonging to the genus Viburnum : of these the Hobble- 

 bush or American Wayfaring Tree is one of the most important. It is very generally 

 distributed as a part of the underwoods in Northern forests, and is especially notable for 

 its beautiful flower-clusters in early summer and its glorious, dark-red foliage in autumn. 

 The Arrowwood (V. dentatum) is a widely distributed shrub which derives its name from 

 the use of the branches for arrows by the Indians. The Cranberry Bush or High Bush 

 Cranberry is Viburnum Opulus and is widely distributed : the Snowball, which was formerly 

 so popular, is a variety of this species. 



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