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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database < Viburnum rufidulum
Rusty blackhaw is an ideal plant for the backyard wildlife habitat; it’s stunning, and each and every part is well used by wildlife! In spring, this graceful little tree is decorated with “bouquets” of white, five-petaled flowers that provide nectar for butterflies and bees. Rot-resistant, pea-sized fruits turn dark blue in fall and are consumed late in winter by hungry cardinals, cedar waxwings, and mockingbirds. Rusty blackhaw’s gorgeous, glistening leaves make great caterpillar food. Viburnums are host plants for Baltimore, harvester, and spring azure butterflies. They also host the hummingbird clearwing, a fascinating day-flying moth that hovers on transparent wings and is often mistaken for a baby hummingbird.
Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)
Large deciduous shrub or small tree with lustrous oval-shaped leaves two to four inches long. Buds and young stems are covered with rust-colored fuzz. In March or April, round-topped clusters of small white flowers appear. These are followed in fall by bunches of dark blue drupes (a drupe is a fleshy fruit containing a hard stone). The leaves are tardily deciduous and turn red, purple, and pink in fall.
10 to 30 feet high and wide. Typical height is 10 to 15 feet.
Can be shrubby or tree-like. The trunk usually divides close to the ground, and the branches are stiff and spreading.
Moderate.
Part shade to full sun. If you plant in full sun, you’ll get denser growth and better fall color. In shade, the form tends to be open and airy, and leaf color is more muted and subtle.
Easygoing rusty blackhaw adapts to a variety of light conditions and almost any soil type (just make sure the drainage is decent). It is drought-tolerant and an excellent choice for xeriscaping projects.
Assets include bright shiny green leaves, white flowers in spring, blue fruits in fall, and terrific fall color.
Graceful and compact, rusty blackhaw is the perfect specimen tree for a small landscape. It also works well as part of a mixed border or old-fashioned hedgerow. Include it in your bird garden or woodland.
Spring flowers provide nectar for butterflies; fruits provide food for small mammals and songbirds.
Found throughout Georgia in mixed upland hardwood forests, along roadsides, and in fencerows.
Softwood cuttings, seed.
Text and photo by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation
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Blackhaw
