When Does the Maple-Leaved Viburnum Bloom?

Flowering Time Frame

• The maple-leaved viburnum blooms anytime from mid- to late spring in most of the United States. Leaves are already present by the time the flat clusters of tiny off-white to palest pink flowers appear. Botanically, the flower cluster form is that of a cyme, measuring 1 to 3 inches wide. A cyme is a flat flower cluster with oldest flowers in the center and youngest blossoms opening later at the cluster edges. Surviving in densely shaded areas of forests where temperatures are cooler, flowering can occur into early and midsummer in rarer instances.

Geographical Insight

• Since this viburnum species grows naturally over a wide expanse of the eastern U.S. with varying elevation and latitude, flowering time differs across the native range. In the southern U.S., such as in northeast Texas or central Georgia, maple-leaved viburnum blooms as early as late April or early May, according to Michael Dirr, author of "Viburnums." Farther north, such as in Connecticut or the mid-Mississippi River Valley, flowering occurs more consistently in early June. In high elevations of the Appalachians or around the Great Lakes, flowering may be delayed into late June, even isolated episodes in July or early August.

Flower Features

• When walking in the woodlands of the eastern U.S., the leaves may suggest a maple tree, and the flower clusters look more like those borne on elderberry shrubs. A sweet, somewhat overbearing aroma wafts from the tiny blossoms when you get within 3 feet of flowers. Bees and other nectar-seeking insects pollinate the five-petaled flowers. In some plants, larger sterile flowers may appear on the outer edges of the flower clusters.

Fruit Production

• Pollinated maple-leaved viburnum flowers develop into egg-shaped, pea-sized fruits that attract songbirds for food. Within a month after pollination, the immature fruits are green and over the course of the summer turn red. They often are masked by the shrub's leaves. By Labor Day in the South the berries turn from red to purple or black. In mid to late September the fruits ripen in northern areas.