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Rusty Blackhaw

Viburnum rufidulum

Found in dry forests and woodlands; moderately dry forests; forests and woodlands; glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone; glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock; floodplain and bottomland forests; streams, rivers and their banks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

85
Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height
10–20 feet
Spread
10–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 15 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
September to October

Recorded in 27 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 7

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

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.

Dry forests and woodlands

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

Moderately dry forests

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

Forests and woodlands

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

Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock

Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 93 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 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Cream or white
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Rusty Black Haw

Conservation status

Virginia rankS3S4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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