Possumhaw Viburnum
Viburnum nudum
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in bogs, blackwater floodplains, wooded seeps, swamps, margins of ponds and lakes, especially in areas with acidic groundwater influence. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
85
Keystone
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 5–12 feet
- Spread
- 5–12 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
Space about 8.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Spring
- Fruiting season
- August to October
Recorded in 24 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 4
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.
Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 18 animals.
Widespread birds also seen here (53)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Black-and-White Warbler
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Wood-pewee
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Gray Catbird
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Hermit Thrush
- Lincoln's Sparrow
- Mallard
- Mississippi Kite
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Purple Finch
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Rusty Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Song Sparrow
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tree Swallow
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
84CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Viburnum
- Celastrina ladonSpring Azure
- Hemaris thysbeHummingbird Clearwing
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
- Acronicta fallaxThe Green Marvel
- Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
- Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
- Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
- Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
Show all 84
- Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
- Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
- Antepione thisoariaVariable Antepione
- Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
- Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
- Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
- Argyrotaenia juglandanaHickory Leafroller
- Argyrotaenia marianaGray-Banded Leafroller Moth
- Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Calledapteryx dryopterataBrown Scoopwing
- Callophrys henriciHenry's Elfin
- Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
- Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
- Cenopis diluticostanaSpring Dead-Leaf Roller Moth, Oak Cenopis
- Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
- Choristoneura parallelaParallel-Banded Leafroller, Spotted Fireworm Moth
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
- Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
- Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
- Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
- Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
- Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
- Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
- Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
- Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
- Glyptocera consobrinellaViburnum Glyptocera, Glyptocera Moth
- Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
- Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
- Hemaris diffinisSnowberry Clearwing
- Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
- Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
- Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
- Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
- Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
- Lomographa vestaliataWhite Spring Moth
- Lytrosis unitariaCommon Lytrosis
- Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
- Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
- Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
- Metaxaglaea inultaUnsalted Sallow, Viburnum Sallow
- Metaxaglaea semitariaFootpath Sallow
- Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
- Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Oreta roseaRose Hooktip
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
- Packardia geminataJeweled Tail Slug Moth
- Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
- Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
- Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
- Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
- Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
- Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
- Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
- Schizura badiaChestnut Schizura
- Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
- Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
- Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
- Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
- Zale horridaHorrid Zale, Sacled Zale
- Acleris placidana
17BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Viburnum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded eating Viburnum in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Ruffed GrouseFruit. 13 diet records
- American RobinFruit. 3 diet records
- Eastern BluebirdFruit. 2 diet records
- Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 2 diet records
- Swainson's ThrushFruit and seeds. 2 diet records
- Blue-headed Vireo1 diet record
- Cedar WaxwingFruit. 1 diet record
- European Starling1 diet record
- Northern Mockingbird1 diet record
- White-eyed Vireo1 diet record
Show all 12
- Wild Turkey1 diet record
- Wood DuckSeeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Viburnum 12
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Cream or white
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition differs)
- Flower color · “Cream or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “5–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- primary_flower_color · “white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “5–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Possum Haw
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications