2. Viburnum lantana L. (wayfaring tree, twistwood)
Map 1438
Plants shrubs 2–3(–5)
m tall. Bark firm, not peeling, usually relatively smooth to finely roughened
or warty on younger branches, occasionally becoming somewhat fissured on older
stems, gray or grayish brown to reddish brown. Winter buds more or less
narrowly oblong, slightly flattened, naked (lacking scales), densely pubescent
with minute, stellate hairs, not sticky. Stipules usually absent, when present
minute and shed early. Petioles 5–20 mm long, unwinged or less commonly with
minute, winglike ridges toward the tip (these usually obscured by the
pubescence), densely pubescent with minute, gray, stellate hairs, lacking
prominent glandular swellings near the tip. Leaf blades 5–10 cm long, 2.5–5.5
cm wide, unlobed, thin to relatively thick but soft and not leathery, ovate to
elliptic or broadly ovate, rounded to truncate or shallowly cordate at the
base, angled or short-tapered to a bluntly or sharply pointed tip, rarely
rounded at the tip, the margins finely toothed with the teeth (3–)5–12 per cm,
30–45 on each side, the surfaces densely pubescent with minute, gray, stellate
hairs or the upper surface sparsely to moderately hairy at maturity, sometimes
with 3–5 main veins from the base, otherwise pinnately veined, the secondary
veins straight to somewhat arched or curved, dichotomously branched 1–4 times
but not forming a network, extending to the leaf margin, each branch ending in
a tooth. Inflorescences sessile or short-stalked, with usually 7 primary
branches, these with dense, minute, gray, stellate hairs at flowering, the
marginal flowers fertile and similar to the other flowers. Ovaries glabrous.
Fruits 8–10 mm long, ellipsoid to nearly spherical, red, sometimes turning dark
bluish purple with age, not glaucous. Nutlet 7–9 mm long, yellowish brown to
reddish brown. 2n=18. March–April.
Introduced,
uncommon, known thus far from a single specimen from Cape Girardeau County
(native of Europe, Asia; introduced sporadically in the northeastern U.S. west
to Iowa and Missouri, also Montana to Colorado; Canada). Mesic upland forests.
Steyermark
(1963) was unable to examine the voucher specimen documenting this species from
Missouri, which was collected in 1957 in Cape Girardeau, and thus failed to
include it in his treatment. The wayfaring tree of Eurasia has long been
cultivated as an ornamental in North America, and it occasionally escapes. Viburnum
lantana is a member of section Viburnum, which includes about 18
species, all native to Europe and Asia. A number of Viburnum species
commonly cultivated in the United States are members of this morphologically
diverse section.