VIBÚRNUM. The Viburnums.Viburnum prunifÒlium LinnÆus. Black Haw. Plate 134. Small trees or shrubs; bark of old trees reddish-brown, furrowed and the ridges broken into short lengths; leaves simple, opposite, on petioles 0.5-1.5 cm. long; the lower pairs of leaves are generally smaller and have their petioles more or less winged, red and more or less densely covered with a rusty tomentum which may extend along the midrib and veins beneath or may sometimes cover a considerable part of the lower surface of the leaf while young, sometimes the margined petioles are only rough on the margins; leaf blades very variable in size and shape, usually 4-10 cm. long, ovate to slightly obovate, or narrow-oval to nearly orbicular, narrowed or rounded at the base, pointed at the apex, or sometimes rounded, margins finely serrate, glabrous both above and beneath at maturity; flowers appear the last of April or in May in cymes which are sessile or nearly so, flowers white, numerous, and generally about 0.5 cm. in diameter, fruit ripens in September and October, oval, oblong or nearly globose, generally 10-14 mm. long, dark blue, covered with a bloom, edible, and if not eaten by birds they persist on the branches until late autumn; stone oval and very flat.
Plate 134
VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM LinnÆus. Black Haw. (× 1/2.)
Distribution.—Connecticut to Iowa and south to Georgia and west to Texas. It is more or less frequent in moist woods throughout Indiana, except in the hilly counties where it becomes more or less rare. In the hilly counties its place is taken by the southern black haw, Viburnum rufidulum which only rarely attains tree size.
Remarks.—This species could be used to advantage in ornamental planting where small trees or shrubs are required for a screen or back ground. The fruit of the black and red haws attract several species of birds.
This species is quite variable in the shape, and texture of its leaves, and in the size and shape of its fruit. In the southern part of the State specimens are found that have very thick leaves with margined and tomentose petioles which very much resemble the southern species.
