Viburnum affine Bush var. hypomalacum S.F. Blake
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. affine (Bush) House
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. rafinesqueanum
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult.
Downy arrowwood
This species is often misspelled as Viburnum rafinesquianum. It is a North American native.
Plants: This shrub is up to 6′ (1.8 m) around.
Leaves: Oval, wider and rounded at the bottom and pointed at the top, toothed, in opposite pairs. The leaves have fuzzy undersides, and are attached by very short stems (”petioles”). In the fall, they are rose to maroon in color.
Flowers: Cream-colored flowerheads are 3–4″ (7.6–10 cm) across, composed of many small sterile 5-petaled flowers about ¼″ (6.3 mm) across.
Fruits: Clusters of pointed ovals, ⅜ ⨉ ⅛″ (1 cm ⨉ 5 mm), ripening as black and shiny.
Habitats: Dry to dry-mesic forests, bluffs, woodlands, and rocky summits mostly in calcareous or mineral rich thin soils.
See this comparison table showing Viburnums that are presently in our database, or this nicely done Viburnum species guide.
Online References:
Viburnum affine Bush
Viburnum affine Bush var. hypomalacum S.F. Blake
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. affine (Bush) House
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. rafinesqueanum
Viburnum affine Bush var. hypomalacum S.F. Blake
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. affine (Bush) House
Viburnum rafinesqueanum Schult. var. rafinesqueanum
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6½ × 4½′ (2 × 1.4 m) 
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain 
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) 
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Dipsacales | Includes viburnum, honeysuckle, snowberry, beautybush, twinflower, many others |
| Family | Adoxaceae | Elders and viburnums |
| Genus | Viburnum | Latin for “a kind of shrub” |
| Species | rafinesqueanum | For French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1783–1840) |
Viburnum rafinesqueanum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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