Download Viburnum carlesii - Arnold Arboretum

 Arborway
Boston, MA 2-500
visit us online at arboretum.harvard.edu
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
ARNOLD ARBORETUM OF
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
In our Collection
Viburnum carlesii
Kathryn Richardson, Curatorial Assistant
Kyle Port
Wouter Hagens
A
s a curatorial assistant, one of the most rewarding aspects
of my job is interacting with scientists from around the
world, assisting them with their projects, and sharing the
vast amounts of information we maintain for each plant in the living
collections. The exceptionally detailed nature of these data is one of
the primary reasons why the Arboretum is a premier destination for
the study of temperate woody plants.
By way of example, two recent research projects have utilized the
same plant, Viburnum carlesii (AA#17981-2*A). The first—a Brown
University Study, Evolution of Viburnum leaves, stems, and phenology—
aims to understand viburnum evolution by focusing on leaf and stem
anatomy and physiology, including photosynthetic rates and movement of water through the leaves. The second project, a Yale University study entitled Fruiting phenology of Lonicera and Viburnum,
centers on investigating changes in fruit color throughout maturation
to shed light on the evolution of fruit developmental traits of these
closely-related genera.
The specimen used in both of these studies began as a cutting
taken from a historical accession of V. carlesii (AA#17981*A) in
1922. The Arboretum received the parent plant in 1911 from Vicary
Gibbs (1853-1932), an English barrister and member of the House
of Commons also remembered for his horticultural work. Famed
Arboretum propagator William Judd used this very plant to develop
the hybrid Judd viburnum, Viburnum × juddii.
This younger plant, a vegetative propagule from the parent of a
novel hybrid, continues to contribute to science. The records associated with it are enhanced as researchers visit the Arboretum to study
various aspects of its evolution, form, and function. A plant’s story and
value expand beyond its individual collection history to include its use
by scholars and its citation in scientific papers and presentations.
At left, spring flowers of
Koreanspice viburnum are
among the most fragrant in
its genus. These give way to
red to black fruits (above),
providing late-season interest
with its reddish fall foliage.
Commonly known as Koreanspice viburnum or Mayflower
viburnum, V. carlesii is one of the few viburnum species with pleasingly
fragrant flowers. From late April to early May, dense hemispherical
cymes bloom against a dark green backdrop of emerging leaves.
Beautiful pink to reddish buds open to reveal white flowers which
emit a spicy vanilla scent, and give way to red to black, egg-shaped
fruits amid its reddish fall foliage. e