Physocarpus opulifolius, Common Ninebark

Size: shrub, 5-10' average height at maturity, 6-10' spread

Buds: dark brown to black

Leaves: deciduous, alternate, 1-3" long, .5-1.5" wide, simple, usually 3-5 lobes, sometimes no lobes, crenate or dentate margins, lobes may be acute or obtuse, medium green in summer, yellow or brown in fall

Twigs: glabrous, red-brown when young, conspicuous decurrent lines on each side of leaf scar, fruit pedicels persistent at twig tips

Flowers: monoecious, white, sometimes pinkish, in many-flowered corymbs

Fruit: 3-5 .25" reddish follicles

Bark: exfoliates after two years

Viburnum sieboldii, Siebold Viburnum

Size: tree, 15-20' average height at maturity, 10-15' spread

Buds: winter buds have valvate scales, buds conical to ovoid bullet-shaped, scales often split open at top

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-6" long, 1.5-3" wide, simple, elliptic or obovate, acute tips, margins coarsely crenate-serrate, shiny dark green, crushed leaves have fetid odor like green peppers mixed with burnt rubber

Twigs: tout, leaf scars connect around stem, grayish

Flowers: monoecious, creamy white, in 3-6" flat-topped clusters

Fruit: .33-.5" oval drupe, changing from red to black

Bark: usually gray

Viburnum carlesii, Koreanspice Viburnum

Size: shrub, 3-6' average height at maturity, equal spread

Buds: winter vegetative buds naked, flower buds have a few scales that are clustered stalked .25-.5", terminal vegetative bud often less than 2 times as long as lateral buds at its base, usually brown

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 1-4" long, .75-2.5" wide, simple, broadly ovate to elliptical, acute apex, irregularly toothed margins, dark green with sparse stellate (star-shaped) pubescence on top, thicker on underside

Twigs: pubescent when young

Flowers: monoecious, pink in bud, white when open, each up to .5", hemispherical cymes like a half-golf-ball, intensely fragrant

Fruit: .33" egg-shaped drupe, black, appear in late summer

Bark: brown or gray, fissures on older stems

Viburnum x rhytidophylloides, Lantanaphyllum Viburnum

Size: shrub, 10-15' average height and spread at maturity

Buds: winter buds naked, flower buds have a few scales and can be found in tight solitary clusters at twig tips, vegetative buds are brown and tomentose

Leaves: evergreen, although leaves often hang on and turn brownish, opposite, 3-8" long, 1-2.5" wide, simple, ovate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, tip acute or obtuse, entire of slightly denticulate margins, veins course and not as deeply impressed as in V. rhytidophyllum, dark green top, very tomentose underside

Twigs: gray to brown, pubescent when young

Flowers: monoecious, yellow-white flowers in flat-topped 3-4" cymes, light fragrance

Fruit: 1-3" oval drupe, red maturing to black

Bark: gray to brown, older stems glabrous

Viburnum farreri, Fragrant Viburnum

Size: shrub, 8-12' average height at maturity, equal spread

Buds: winter buds have 2 pairs of overlapping scales, flower buds large and rounded, individual flower buds loosely covered with scales, vegetative buds smaller usually with 3 pairs of scales

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 1.5-4" long, 1-2.75" wide, simple, obovate or oval, acute tip, margins serrate with triangular teeth, veins conspicuous on top and underside, dark green with purplish petioles, reddish purple in fall

Twigs: brown

Flowers: monoecious, pinkish red in bud, white tinged pink when open, in rounded panicles up to 2", flowers early

Fruit: red ripening to black

Viburnum opulus, European Cranberrybush Viburnum

Size: shrub, 8-10' average height at maturity, 8-12' spread

Buds: winter buds have single continuous scale (actually two fused so that they appear to be 1), glossy brown, .33-.5"

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4" long and wide, simple, 3 lobes with acuminate tips, margins have large coarsely dentate teeth, pubescent underside, grooved petiole with several large disk-like glands, dark green in summer, fall color may be yellow-red and reddish

Twigs: glabrous, tan to gray, contrast with bud color, glabrous, ribbed, fairly stout

Flowers: monoecious or dioecious, white, in 2-4" flat-topped cyme, outer ring sterile and each .75", inner flowers fertile and inconspicuous, bloom in May, yellow anthers

Fruit: red, persistent, drying like raisins over time

Bark: light gray

Cornus sericea, Red Twig Dogwood

Size: shrub, 6-8' average height at maturity, 5-8' spread

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4.5" long, 1-2" wide, simple, ovate to elliptic, acute or acuminate tip, rounded at base, yellow-green in spring, shiny dark green in summer, often reddish-purple in fall

Twigs: green tinged red in summer, winter can be bright crimson depending on cultivar, conspicuous lenticels, lateral buds, pith white

Flowers: monoecious, yellow-white, bloom in late spring, 1.5-2" diameter, flat-topped cymes

Fruit: whitish or bluish-white drupe, .38"

Itea virginica, Virginia Sweetspire

Size: shrub, 3-5' average height and spread at maturity

Buds: superposed, upper larger than lower, imbricate, reddish green

Leaves: deciduous, semievergreen or evergreen, alternate, 1.5-4" long, .75-1.25" wide, simple, elliptic to oblong, tips acute or short acuminate, margins usually serrulate, medium to dark green above, often slightly pubescent below, fall colors include vivid reds, purples, yellows, oranges

Twigs: crescent-shaped leaf scars, irregularly chambered white pith

Flowers: monoecious, white, dense upright clusters that are 2-6" long and .625" wide, individual flowers .33-.5" wide, lightly fragrant, bloom in June

Fruit: capsules, .25-.33", with 5 valves, persist through winter

Bark: green to reddish purple

Rhus aromatica, Fragrant Sumac

Size: groundcover, shrub, 2-6' average height at maturity, 6-10' spread

Buds: covered by leaf scar, small, yellow, pubescent

Leaves: deciduous, alternate, terminal leaflet 1.5-3" long, laterals .75-1.5", compound, trifoliate, tips acute or acuminate, coarsely toothed, green or blue-green, shiny on top, orange, red, red-purple in fall

Twigs: slender, pubescent, clusters of small catkins at apex in winter, fragrant when bruised, raised leaf scars, circular

Flowers: yellowish, male catkins about 1" long, females in short panicles, individual scales of catkins are red-brown with conspicuous marginal fringe of white hairs, bloom mid-March to April

Fruit: fuzzy red drupe, about .25"

Viburnum dilatatum, Linden Viburnum

Size: shrub, 6-8' average height at maturity, 4-8' spread

Buds: winter buds have 2 pairs of overlapping scales, outer pair as long or longer than inner pair, buds pubescent brownish blunt often with red-tinged scales

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-5" long, 1-3.5" wide, simple, broadly ovate, tip abruptly acuminate, coarsely toothed margins, hairy on both sides, dark green and often shiny on top, sometimes russet red in fall

Twigs: pubescent, prominent orange lenticels

Flowers: monoecious, .25" white flowers in 3-5" flat-topped cymes, often in large quantities

Fruit: bright red, often persistent, .33" drupes

Bark: brown with stiff hairs

Viburnum lantana, Wayfaringtree Viburnum

Size: shrub, 10-15' average height at maturity, equal spread

Buds: winter vegetative buds naked, terminal vegetative bud often over 3 times as long as lateral buds at its base, flower buds have several scales

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-5" long, 1.5-4" wide, simple, obovate or oval, tip acute or obtuse, very uniform denticulation at margins, strongly reticulate (net-like) venation pattern, dark green

Twigs: light gray-brown, pubescent

Flowers: monoecious, creamy white (white flowers with yellow stamens), 3-5" flat-topped cymes

Fruit: .33" long drupe, yellow changing to red and black

Bark: gray, stout, coarse, usually with many lenticels

Viburnum lentago, Nannyberry Viburnum

Size: shrub, 20-35' average height at maturity, 10-20' spread

Buds: winter buds have valvate scales, flower buds long-pointed and swollen at base, bud scales gray, vegetative buds long-pointed but not swollen at base

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4" long, 1-2" wide, simple, ovate to elliptical-ovate, acuminate tips, finely toothed, petioles often have wavy margin, shiny dark green above, purple-red in fall but often drop while still green

Twigs: brownish, slightly pubescent or glabrous

Flowers: monoecious or dioecious, creamy white with yellow stamens, in flat-topped 3-4.5" cymes

Fruit: .5" oval drupe, matures from green to yellow, rose, or pink, ultimately bluish black with a bloom

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum, Doublefile Viburnum

Size: shrub, 8-10' average height at maturity, spread slightly larger

Buds: winter buds have valvate scales, flower and vegetative buds are short-pointed, 2 outer scales usually split apart at center, backs are keeled, edge of each scale curled back

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, branches usually 2-ranked (in a single flat plane like a fishbone), 2-5" long, 1-2.5" wide, simple, broadly ovate, tips acute or acuminate, teeth dentate-serrate, dark green, conspicuous veins, fall color reddish purple

Twigs: stellate tomentose when young

Flowers: monoecious or dioecious, white, in flat-topped cymes up to 6", outer flowers sterile and snow-white, inner flowers fertile and inconspicuous, cymes held above leaves all along branches

Fruit: .33" egg-shaped drupe, red maturing to black

Bark: dark gray or brownish, orange lenticels

Viburnum utile 'Conoy', Conoy Service Viburnum

Size: shrub, 5-8' average height at maturity

Buds: pink

Leaves: semi-evergreen, opposite, 1.5-2.5" long, simple, ovate to oblong, glossy dark green top (often with dark maroon tinge in winter), pale blue-green and pubescent underside

Twigs: first-year growth greenish white, very scurfy, second-year growth reddish brown, slightlyy scurfy, older growth grayish brown

Flowers: monoecious, creamy white in spring, borne in 2-2.5" diameter cymes with 70-75 florets per inflorescence, light fragrance

Fruit: .33" long glossy ovid drupes, turn from red to black at maturity, ripen in late summer

Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood

Size: tree, 20-30' average height at maturity

Buds: flower buds usually terminal, stalked, flattened on top, about .25" wide, valvate; vegetative buds valvate, slender, almost hidden in raised leaf scars

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 3-6" long, 1.5-3" wide, simple, abruptly acuminate, entire, nearly glabrous above, glaucus below, dark green above (but lighter than C. kousa), red or reddish purple in fall

Twigs: reddish purple, sometimes green on lower surface

Flowers: monoecious, true flowers yellowish or greenish, bracts are white in the species but pink and red in some cultivars, bracts are about 2" long

Fruit: shiny red drupe, usually in clusters of several, fall

Bark: broken into small, squarish plates, gray-brown to black

Cornus mas, Corneliancherry Dogwood

Size: tree, 18' average height at maturity, 15-20'spread

Buds: axillary (not necessarily terminal), rounded, yellow-green, usually with 3 visible scales; vegetative buds valvate, pointed, less appressed than in other dogwoods

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4" long, .75-1.5" wide, simple, ovate to elliptic, tips acute or acuminate, margins entire, dark green, purplish red in fall

Twigs: usually red above, green below, slender

Flowers: monoecious, yellow in early spring, in .75" umbels

Fruit: bright red drupe about .5" long, July, edible

Bark: exfoliating gray-brown or rich brown

Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood

Size: tree, 20-30' average height and spread at maturity

Buds: flower bud pointed, longer than wide (unlike C. florida), terminal; vegetative buds valvate, close to stem, brownish black

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4" long, .75-1.75" wide, simple, ovate to elliptic, acuminate, margins entire, dark green to blue green, reddish purple or scarlet in fall

Twigs: brown or tan twig contrasts with dark ring beneath leaf scar, fringe of reddish hairs above leaf scar

Flowers: monoecious, true flowers inconspicuous, 4 bracts creamy, about 2" long

Fruit: pinkish-red or red drupe resembling a soccer ball, .75-1" wide, on a pendulous stem like a cherry, edible

Bark: exfoliating mix of gray, tan, and brown

Cornus racemosa, Gray Dogwood

Size: shrub, 10-15' average height at maturity, 10-15' spread

Buds: flower buds terminal, more rounded and much larger than vegetative buds, slightly appressed

Leaves: deciduous, opposite, 2-4" long, 1-2" wide, simple, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, long acuminate tips, margins entire, gray-green to dark green, sometimes purplish red in fall

Twigs: orange-brown, contrasting with older gray stems, narrow black band below leaf scar

Flowers: monoecious, whitish, in panicles up to 2 wide, at tips of every branch, late spring bloom

Fruit: blue-white or white, .25", late summer, pedicels reddish-pink, last into winter

Bark: Gray