Rusty blackhaw

Photo: Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society / James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service — CC BY 3.0 us · source

Survives zone 5 through 9

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

The largest and most tree-like of the North American viburnums in this catalog, sometimes grown as a small ornamental shade tree. Fruit is sweet and grape-like once fully ripe, with a waxy blue bloom similar to a small plum.

Hardiness

Zone 5–9

Habit

Tree

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Sept–Oct

Mature size

6–9 m tall by 4–6 m wide

Light

Full sun to part shade

Soil pH

6.0–7.5 (neutral)

Environment

Warm temperate

Native range

South-central and southeastern United States, from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas and Kansas — dry to moist woods, bluffs and roadsides.

Status

Both wild and cultivated

Years to fruit

4–6 yrs

Growth speed

Slow

Spacing

500 cm (197 in) apart — about 25 m² (269 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Ovate to elliptic, 4–9 cm, glossy dark green, finely toothed

Root system

Deeper and less suckering than the shrubby viburnums, matching its more tree-like habit — it stands drought and poor dry ground better than most of the genus.

Fruit description

Bluish-black drupes with a waxy bloom, 10–15 mm, sweet, grape-like flavor

Propagation

Semi-hardwood cuttings in summer, seed (double dormancy), or grafting.

Pollination

Insect-pollinated and self-fertile.

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.