Possumhaw
Viburnum nudum Linnaeus
Possumhaw: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/1518
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Host plant for Brown Scallopwing Moth.

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Source: Wikipedia

Viburnum nudum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Adoxaceae
Genus: Viburnum
Species:
V. nudum
Binomial name
Viburnum nudum

Viburnum nudum is a deciduous shrub in the genus Viburnum within the muskroot family, Adoxaceae (It was formerly part of Caprifoliaceae, the honeysuckle family).[2]

One variety of the species is Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides; synonyms for this variety Viburnum nitidum Aiton, Viburnum cassinoides, Viburnum cassinoides var. harbisonii, Viburnum cassinoides var. nitidum, and Viburnum nitidum.[2][3]

Common names for the plant include withe-rod, witherod viburnum, possumhaw, and wild raisin.[2]

Description

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Viburnum nudum is a shrub with opposite, simple leaves, on slender stems. The flowers are white, borne in late spring.

Range

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It is native to North America from southern Ontario and Quebec to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and west to Wisconsin.[3]

Ecology

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The fruit is eaten by wildlife, and deer browse the foliage.[4] It is a larval host to spring azures and hummingbird clearwing moths.[5]

Conservation status in the United States

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It is listed as endangered in Kentucky and Pennsylvania[6] and as special concern species and believed extirpated in Connecticut.[7]

Native American ethnobotany

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Cuisine

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The Abenaki use the fruit[8]: 152  and the grains of var. cassinoides [8]: 173  for food. The Algonquin people eat the berries of var. cassinoides.[9]

Medicinal use

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The Cherokee have several medicinal uses for Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides. They take an infusion of it to prevent recurrent spasms, use the root bark as a diaphoretic and a tonic, and take a compound infusion of it for fever, smallpox and ague. They also use an infusion of the bark as a wash for a sore tongue.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Viburnum nudum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T144047738A149042014. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T144047738A149042014.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
  3. ^ a b NRCS PLANTS Database
  4. ^ Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 673. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
  5. ^ Adelman, Lauren (5 July 2017). "The Joy of Butterfly Host Plants". Lewis Ginter Arboretum. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Plants Profile for Viburnum nudum (possumhaw)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 23, 2017. (Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.)
  8. ^ a b Rousseau, Jacques (1947). Ethnobotanique Abenakise, Archives de Folklore 11:145-182.
  9. ^ Black, Meredith Jean (1980). Algonquin Ethnobotany: An Interpretation of Aboriginal Adaptation in South Western Quebec, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series Number 65, page 107.
  10. ^ Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co., page 62
  11. ^ Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. (1913). An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3:273.