Habitat

• native to Europe, northern Africa and northern Asia
• hardy to zone 3

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• multistemmed
• rounded shape
• upright-spreading to irregular and arching branching
• typically branched to the ground
• dense and compact
• 8' to 10' tall or even taller
• 10' to 15' spread

Summer Foliage

• opposite, simple leaves
• leaves with 3 primary lobes ("maple-shaped")
• entire leaf margin is irregularly and coarsely toothed
• leaves are 2" to 4" long and wide
• dark green color
• leaf surface is glabrous
• petioles with distinct disk-like or suction cup-shaped glands

Autumn Foliage

• can be yellow-red or reddish purple
• often the fall color is disappointing and leaves drop green

Flowers

• small white flowers held in flat clusters
• less showy fertile inner flowers are surrounded by a ring of showier sterile flowers
• flower clusters are 2" to 3.5" across
• bloom time is late May to early June
• showy in bloom

Fruit

• bright red berries
• held in pendulous clusters
• individual fruits are 0.4" in diameter
• effective from late summer through mid-autumn
• by winter the fruits shrivel and look like dried red raisins

Bark

• not an important ornamental feature

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• easily transplanted and established
• best growth on fertile, moist soils
• very soil adaptable
• soil pH is not critical
• occasional pruning to remove oldest stems may be helpful
• very tough and easy to grow

Landscape Use

• shrub border
• screen
• mass plantings
• small groupings
• useful for flowering and fruiting
• difficult growing sites

Liabilities

• aphids can be particularly problematic, especially on 'Roseum'
• aphid feeding causes shoots and leaves to twist and contort
• borers occasionally
• needs occasional rejuvenation pruning

ID Features

• opposite, tri-lobed, maple-like leaves
• relatively large, red, fleshy fruits
• easily confused with V. trilobum
• V. opulus has shorter, more lobed leaves than V. trilobum
• ring of sterile flowers surround inner fertile flowers
• buds have a single scale and are shaped like Christmas tree light bulbs

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Aureum' and 'Harvest Gold' (also known as 'Park Harvest') - New shoots on these selections are colored bright yellow, but the color fades in time and the plant is otherwise similar to the species. They may benefit from siting in light shade.

'Compactum' - This popular selection has a very dense habit and only reaches half the size of the species (to 5' tall and wide). It grows densely plus it flowers and fruits well. Thus, it is a good choice for smaller landscapes.

'Kristy D.' - Various plants are occasionally seen under the moniker 'Variegatum', but this selected variegated form bears maple-like leaves marbled with cream regions. It grows to 7' tall and bears red fruit. This cultivar has been offered by specialty nurseries.

'Nanum' - Very common in commerce, this selection grows very densely to form a compact mound of maple-like foliage only 2' tall and slightly wider. It rarely flowers or fruits, but its neat habit makes it useful nonetheless as a filler plant or in rockgardens. The plant prefers good air circulation and soil drainage.

'Roseum' (also listed as 'Sterile') - One of the old-fashioned "snowball bushes" that has been a garden favorite for centuries, this plant is best known for its 3" heads of sterile flowers that open green and mature to ivory white. These blooms may last for weeks, but they result in no fruit. It is a large-growing, rounded shrub that may reach 12' tall and wide and is extremely cold hardy. It may be attacked frequently by aphids that distort tender young growth.

'Xanthocarpum' - A very handsome yellow-fruited form, this smaller 8' tall plant bears yellow-gold fruit that persists well. The plant may also develop yellow fall color.