Common Name: Arrow Wood

General Information

Viburnum dentatum is a multi-stemmed, erect, rounded, deciduous shrub that usually grows up to 3 metres tall, but can reach 4.5 metres[, ]. The plant can sucker freely at the base to form thickets[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is occasionally grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a hedge.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Eastern N. America - Ontario to New Brunswick, south to Texas and Florida.

Habitat

Moist soils[]. Wet thickets, swamps and meadows[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Viburnum dentatum is an exceedingly winter-hardy plant[].
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but is ill-adapted for poor soils and for dry situations[]. It prefers a deep rich loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[, ]. Best if given shade from the early morning sun in spring[].
Plants are self-incompatible and need to grow close to a genetically distinct plant in the same species in order to produce fruit and fertile seed[, ].
Plants start to produce fruit and seed when about 3 - 4 years old from seed[].
The plant has a fibrous root system and is easily transplanted[].
Some named forms have been developed for their ornamental value[, ].
Any pruning is best carried out immediately after flowering since next year's flower buds are formed in summer on the current year's growth[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. A pleasantly sweet flavour, but there is very little edible flesh surrounding a relatively large seed[]. The blue-black, oval fruit is up to 9.5mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

A decoction of the twigs has been taken by women to prevent conception[].

A poultice of the plant has been applied to the swollen legs of a woman after she has given birth[].

Both of the above uses are for the sub-species Viburnum dentatum lucidum. Ait.[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant can be used to make a tall hedge or screen[].

Other Uses

The young shoots that spring from the base of the plant are straight and erect, and were used by the native North Americans to make arrows[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be slow, sometimes taking more than 18 months. If the seed is harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has fully ripened) and sown immediately in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[]. Stored seed will require 2 months warm then 3 months cold stratification and can still take 18 months to germinate[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of soft-wood, early summer in a frame[]. Pot up into individual pots once they start to root and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm long with a heel if possible, mid summer in a frame[, ]. Plant them into individual pots as soon as they start to root. These cuttings can be difficult to overwinter, it is best to keep them in a greenhouse or cold frame until the following spring before planting them out[].
Cuttings of mature wood, winter in a frame. They should root in early spring - pot them up when large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if sufficient new growth is made, otherwise keep them in a cold frame for the next winter and then plant them out in the spring.
Layering of current seasons growth in mid summer. Takes 15 months[].