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Downy Arrowwood

Viburnum rafinesqueanum

Found in moderately dry forests; dry forests and woodlands; forests and woodlands; streams, rivers and their banks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

77
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 6 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to May
Fruiting season
June to July

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 36 Virginia 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

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 102 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

105CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Viburnum

  • Celastrina ladonSpring Azure
  • Hemaris thysbeHummingbird Clearwing
  • Acasis viridataOlive-and-Black Carpet
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acleris viburnana"North American" Schaller's Acleris
  • Acronicta fallaxThe Green Marvel
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Show all 105
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anania tertialisCrowned Anania, Crowned Phlyctaenia
  • 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
  • Autographa amplaLarge Looper Moth, Broken-Banded Y, Climbing Looper
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Calledapteryx dryopterataBrown Scoopwing
  • Callophrys henriciHenry's Elfin
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
  • 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
  • Epiglaea declivaSloping Sallow
  • Epirrita autumnataThe Autumnal Moth, November Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Eulia ministranaFerruginous Eulia
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eupithecia satyrataSatyr Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Eupsilia morrisoniMorrison's Sallow
  • 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
  • Lycophotia phyllophoraBrick Dart, Leafy Dart
  • 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
  • Morrisonia evictaBicolored Woodgrain
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
  • Oreta roseaRose Hooktip
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthofidonia exornataPale Viburnum Geometer
  • Orthofidonia flavivenataYellow-Veined Geometer
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • Packardia geminataJeweled Tail Slug Moth
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
  • Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
  • Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
  • Plagodis pulverariaAmerican Barred Umber, Barred Umber
  • 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
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Synanthedon fatiferaLesser Viburnum Clearwing
  • Synanthedon viburniViburnum Borer
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
  • 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
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
18BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Viburnum

  • Bombycilla cedrorumCedar Waxwing
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Show all 18
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Mimus polyglottosNorthern Mockingbird
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. 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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Viburnaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
July

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Downy Arrow Wood; Rafinesques Viburnum; Viburnum rafinesquianum

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4?
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources