Asian guelder rose is an East Asian shrub grown in U.S. gardens, especially in colder regions. Its flat white flower clusters have a ring of large flowers around small ones that produce fruit, and red berries ripen in fall. It is also called Sargent viburnum.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A rounded deciduous shrub that can grow about 12–15 ft (3.7–4.6 m) tall and wide in gardens.
- Leaves
- Opposite, three-lobed leaves look a bit like maple leaves and often turn red in fall.
- Flowers
- Flat white clusters: small fertile flowers in the center, often with purple , ringed by larger that are just for show.
- Flowering time
- May–June in the Midwest
- Fruit
- Round red berries ripen in fall and often stay on the branches into winter.
Look-alikes
Peegee hydrangea has tall, cone shaped flower clusters and oval leaves. Sargent viburnum has flat flower clusters and three lobed leaves.
Why they get mixed upBoth shrubs have showy white flower clusters.
Both have three-lobed leaves and flat white flower clusters. Look closely at the center flowers: Sargent viburnum has purple anthers, while European cranberrybush has yellow anthers.
Why they get mixed upBoth are called guelder rose or cranberrybush and have red fall fruit.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens and parks
- Hedges and screens
- Range
- Native to northeastern Asia, including Korea, Japan, northern China, and the Russian Far East. In the US it is known mainly as a planted ornamental, especially in colder regions.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in full sun to part shade and is hardy in 3–7.
- Flowering
Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun
Growing it
- Propagation
- Grown from seed or cuttings. A yellow-fruited form also exists and partly comes true from seed.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Also called Sargent's cranberry-bush; it has also been known as Viburnum opulus var. sargentii.
- Varieties and forms
- Common garden selections include 'Onondaga', with bronze-tinted young leaves and dark red flower buds, and 'Flavum', with yellow fruit instead of red.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
14 sources
- iNaturalist taxon
- GBIF IUCN category
- POWO Viburnum sargentii
- POWO Viburnum opulus f. hydrangeoides
- 수원시 수목원 백당나무
- カンボク - Wikipedia
- NC Extension Sargent viburnum
- Chicago Botanic Garden Sargent viburnum
- Trees and Shrubs Online: Viburnum sargentii
- FUSE 6: Erysiphe miranda on Viburnum opulus var. sargentii
- 서울시설공단 백당나무
- 京都府改訂版レッドリスト2022 カンボク
- University of Copenhagen: Sargent viburnum
- 국립생태원 호수공원 식물 목록