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Viburnums Native to California

Viburnums are a common flowering shrubs that can be found across many parts of North America. They also occur in mountainous regions of South America, the temperate forests of Eastern Asia (Japan, China and Korea) as well as in the Mediterranean. Worldwide there are 150 to 200 species. The flowers form in dense, flat-topped clusters and the fruits are small, dark-colored units that vary from edible to mildly toxic, depending on species.

Scientific classification
- Viburnum is a genus classification within the Adoxaceae family, also known as the muskroot or elderberry family. Within this family there are two genera containing small woody shrubs. One group is called the elderberries (genus Sambucus) and the other genus is Viburnum, which also are commonly referred to as viburnums. These two genera used to be considered part of the honeysuckle family, but have recently been moved to the muskfoot family based on recent developments in plant taxonomy and molecular structure.
Common Viburnum
- According to the botanical site, Calflora, there are only two species of viburnum that are native to California. Unfortunately they both fall under the category of rare or endangered species. Viburnum elliptica or common viburnum, is a rare shrub of the chaparral and Northern California. Also known as the western, oval-leafed or Oregon viburnum, this plant ranges west of the Cascades from southern Washington to California. The plants displays small clusters of white flowers, which yield small, red, fall fruits. Its preferred habitats are open woods, thickets and bottomlands.
Squashberry
- The squashberry, or Viburnun edule, is a northern viburnum plant that on rare occasions can be found in the higher elevations of Northern California. Also known as mooseberry or high bush cranberry, this shrub grows more frequently in Canada than the U.S. The shrub can reach 10 feet in height and live for over 20 years. The berries are too tart to eat fresh, but can be used to make jams, jellies and syrup. Across its U.S. range, this viburnum is uncommon to rare.
Viburnum tinus
- Besides the two native species, botanists in the Golden State may come across several species of planted varieties. The most common of the viburnum is Viburnum tinus, a shrub native to the Mediterranean, which adepts quite well to the similar California climate. The evergreen shrub grows quite well as a hedgerow or vegetative border. Their white to pink clusters bloom in the spring. Overall, the plant is very tolerant of many types of soils, except salty, and is mildly drought-tolerant.

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