small-leaf arrowwood
Viburnum obovatum · Caprifoliaceae
small-leaf arrowwood (Viburnum obovatum) is a perennial shrub in the Caprifoliaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 7 and warmer, down to about 3°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 12 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–April USDA |
| Flower color | Orange USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 7 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 7.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 12 ft, making it a small tree or large shrub.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through April. Flowers are orange.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is dark green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 33 to 90 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 263 frost-free days to finish its season. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as bunch.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Viburnum
- mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium
- southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum
- squashberry Viburnum edule
- wayfaringtree Viburnum lantana
Similar role and hardiness
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana
- bladderpod spiderflower Cleome isomeris
- coastal doghobble Leucothoe axillaris
- fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida
- sacred bamboo Nandina domestica
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol VIOB, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, resprout ability, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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