Viburnum lantana

Species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae

Viburnum lantana

Foliage and immature fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Clade:  | Tracheophytes
Clade:  | Angiosperms
Clade:  | Eudicots
Clade:  | Asterids
Order:  | Dipsacales
Family:  | Adoxaceae
Genus:  | Viburnum
Species:  |

V. lantana

Binomial name
Viburnum lantana

Synonyms[1]

List

*     * Viburnum aragonense Pau
* Viburnum farinosum Stokes
* Viburnum lantana var. europaeum Aiton
* Viburnum maculatum Pant.
* Viburnum tomentosum Lam.

Viburnum lantana, the wayfarer or wayfaring tree, is a species of Viburnum, native to central, southern and western Europe (north to Yorkshire in England), northwest Africa, and southwestern Asia.[2][3][4] The vigorous deciduous European treelike shrub is common along waysides.

## Description[edit]

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 4–5 m (13–16 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, simple oval to lanceolate, 6–13 cm (2.4–5.1 in) Long and 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) broad, with a finely serrated margin; they are densely downy on the underside, less so on the upper surface. The hermaphrodite flowers are small, around 5 mm (0.20 in), and creamy-white, produced in dense cymes 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) width at the top of the stems; they are produced in early summer, and pollinated by insects. The fruit is an oblong drupe 8 mm (0.31 in) long, green at first, turning red, then finally black at full maturity, and contains a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds eat the fruit, then deposit the seeds in another location in their droppings.[3][4]

An older name for the plant is hoarwithy. "Hoar" means grey-haired and refers to the hairs under the leaves, and "withy" means a pliant stem.[5]

Showing simultaneous red, unripe and black ripe fruits

## Cultivation and uses[edit]

It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its flowers and berries, growing best on alkaline soils. A number of cultivars have been selected, including 'Aureum', with yellow leaves in spring.[4]

The fruit is mildly toxic, and may cause vomiting or diarrhea if consumed in large quantities.[6]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Viburnum lantana L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
2. ^ Flora Europaea: Viburnum lantana
3. ^ a b Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
4. ^ a b c Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
5. ^ Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain p.87.
6. ^ Plants for a Future: Viburnum lantana

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Viburnum lantana at Wikimedia Commons

Taxon identifiers|

* Wikidata: Q158508
* Wikispecies: Viburnum lantana
* APDB: 133354
* BioLib: 40464
* CoL: 5BC9Y
* EoL: 488697
* EPPO: VIBLA
* EUNIS: 165334
* GBIF: 2888615
* GRIN: 41380
* iNaturalist: 124741
* IPA: 6603
* IPNI: 326265-2
* IRMNG: 11442620
* ITIS: 35264
* MichiganFlora: 17
* MoBotPF: 278956
* NatureServe: 2.141805
* NBN: NBNSYS0000004326
* NCBI: 237945
* NZOR: 5a87e646-6add-4814-beee-42cfbd0d6c64
* Open Tree of Life: 572547
* PalDat: Viburnum_lantana
* PFI: 5145
* Plant List: kew-2455932
* PLANTS: VILA
* POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:326265-2
* Tropicos: 6000173
* VASCAN: 2445
* WisFlora: 5371
* WFO: wfo-0000421166
* WoRMS: 426052

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