Southern arrowwood | The Morton Arboretum

Family (English) Elderberry
Family (botanic) Adoxaceae
Tree or plant type Shrub
Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
Native locale Illinois, North America
Size range Small shrub (3-5 feet), Medium shrub (5-8 feet), Large shrub (more than 8 feet)
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8
Soil preference Acid soil, Moist, well-drained soil
Tolerances clay soil, Occasional drought, Occasional flooding, Road salt
Season of interest mid spring, late spring, early fall, mid fall
Flower color and fragrance White
Shape or form Arching, Mounded, Multi-stemmed, Thicket-forming, Upright
Growth rate Fast, Moderate

Size and form:

Southern arrowwood is a dense, multi-stemmed, rounded shrub reaching 6 to 10 feet high and 6 to 12 feet wide.

Native geographic location and habitat:

It is native from Minnesota to Georgia often found in wet or lowland areas, at the base of wooded ravines, and along stream banks.

Attracts birds and butterflies:

This shrub is a caterpillar and larval host to the hummingbird moth and a nectar source to red admiral butterflies. The late fruiting season appeals to many species of birds.

Bark color and texture:

It has gray brown bark with a light fissuring. The stems are known for being straight “as an arrow”, hence the common name arrowwood.

Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture:

Southern arrowwood has opposite, simple leaves up to 4 inches long with prominent veins and toothed margins. Lustrous to glossy dark green leaves in summer that turn wine-red in fall.

Flower arrangement, shape, and size:

It produces creamy white flowers in flat-topped flower clusters ont he branch tips that are up to 4 inches in diameter. They are unpleasantly scented.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

Upright terminal clusters of ink blue fruits ripen in fall. Fruit set is heavier if other arrowwood viburnum cultivars are planted in close proximity and flower at the same time to promote better pollination.

**Autumn Jazz® arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘Ralph Senior’):**

A compact, vase-shaped cultivar growing 8 to 10 feet high and 10 to 12 feet wide. Its glossy, dark green leaves turn a combination of yellow, orange, red, and burgundy in the fall. This cultivar is a Chicagoland Grows® introduction.

**Blue Muffin™ arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘Christom’):**

A compact selection reaching five to seven5 to 7 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide. The medium green foliage turns orange to red in fall and it produces intense blue berries in autumn.

**Cardinal™ arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘KLMThree’):**

A Roy Klehm introduction maturing to 8 to 10 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide. This upright vase-shaped shrub has leaves that turn burgundy to bright red in autumn.

**Chicago Lustre® arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘Synnestvedt’):**

This cultivar has a uniform, upright, rounded form reaching 8 to 10 feet high and wide. The lustrous, dark green leaves turn a mild red-purple in the fall. This cultivar is a Chicagoland Grows® introduction.

**Crimson Tide™ arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘KLMsix’):**

With an upright, vase-shape reaching 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide, this cultivar has leaves that turn burgundy-red in fall.

**Little Joe™ arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘KLMseventeen’):**

A dwarf, rounded form reaching 4 feet high and wide with a purple-green fall color. A good pollinator for Blue muffin arrowwood viburnum.

**Northern Burgundy® arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘Morton’):**

This cultivar has an upright habit reaching 10 to 12 feet high and 8 to 10 feet wide. Glossy, dark green leaves turn a burgundy-red in the fall. This cultivar is a Chicagoland Grows® introduction selected from The Morton Arboretum collections.

**Red Feather® arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum ‘JN Select’):**

This shrub has a rounded form reaching 8 to 10 feet high and 10 to 12 feet wide. The new growth is two-toned, maroon and green, and resembles the feathers at the base of an arrow. It produces 2 to 5 inch wide, white flower clusters followed by blue-black berries in autumn. Fall color is reddish-purple.

Related species and their differences

**Kentucky viburnum (*Viburnum molle***):

This species is similar to arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), and forms a rounded 8 to 12 foot high, upright shrub. The difference from southern arrowwood viburnum is that it has gray to brown exfoliating bark. It grows in limestone soils on rocky hills and bluffs in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Missouri. It is difficult to find in the nursery trade.