Viburnum acerifolium, mapleleaf viburnum
Coladonato, Milo. 1993. Viburnum acerifolium, mapleleaf viburnum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/vibace
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| VIBACE | mapleleaf viburnum | Viburnum acerifolium | Life Form: Plants/Shrub Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Dipsacales Family: Caprifoliaceae Genus: Viburnum | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name for mapleleaf viburnum is Viburnum acerifolium L. [11]. Two intergrading varieties are recognized: V. a. var. acerifolium and V. a. var. glabrescens Rehd. [2].
Synonyms
No entry.
Other Common Names
dockmackie, mapleleaved arrow-wood, possum-haw, squash-berry, guelder-rose
General Distribution
Mapleleaf viburnum occurs from southern Ontario to Quebec, south to eastern Texas, and east to the northern panhandle of Florida [5,9,24].
States and Provinces
- United States: AL AR CT DE FL GA IL IN IA KS LA ME MD MI MN MS MO NE NJ NY NC OH OK PA RI SC TN TX VA WV WI
- Canada: ON PQ
Site Characteristics
Mapleleaf viburnum occurs in upland forests, woodlands, ravine slopes, and hillsides [12,15,21]. It occurs in well-drained, moist soils and is particularly tolerant of acid soils [4,9].
Common understory associates of mapleleaf viburnum include witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), low sweet blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) [15,17,25].
Plant Communities
Mapleleaf viburnum is a dominant or codominant understory species in many beech-maple (Fagus-Acer) forests in the northeastern and midwestern United States [6,17,25].
Botanical Description
Mapleleaf viburnum.
Mapleleaf viburnum is a large, deciduous, rhizomatous shrub from 3 to 6 feet (1-2 m) tall [11,24]. It has a straight trunk with spreading, ascending branches, and forms dense thickets. The maple-like leaves are 3 to 5 inches (7.5-12.5 cm) long. The flowers are arranged in flat upright clusters. The fruit is a one-seeded drupe [4,10].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Phanerophyte
Seasonal Development
Mapleleaf viburnum flowers from May to August, depending on location. Fruits ripen from July to October [9,11].
Regeneration Processes
Mapleleaf viburnum begins to produce seed at approximately 2 years of age, and produces large amounts of seed every year. The seed is dispersed by animals and by gravity [9].
Most mapleleaf viburnum seeds have an impermeable seedcoat and exhibit embryo dormancy that requires a warm-cold stratification sequence to be broken [9].
Mapleleaf viburnum probably reproduces vegetatively by rhizomes [19].
Successional Status
Mapleleaf viburnum is a mid- to late-seral species [16,19]. It is shade tolerant and requires partial shading for optimum growth and development [9,14].
Immediate Fire Effects
Presumably, fire top-kills the aerial portions of mapleleaf viburnum.
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
- Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Fire Adaptations
Mapleleaf viburnum is not well adapted to fire. Fire is harmful to mapleleaf viburnum at both short and long return intervals [3].
Presumably, low- to moderate-severity fires top-kill mapleleaf viburnum. It probably survives fire by sprouting from underground rhizomes.
Plant Response to Fire
Following a prescribed fire in a pine-mixed woodwood forest in Ontario, mapleleaf viburnum decreased in both frequency and biomass [20].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name or acronym on the home page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
No entry.
Federal Status
None
Other Status
None
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
The fruits of mapleleaf viburnum are eaten by white-tailed deer, rabbits, mice, skunks, ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasants, wild turkeys, and many species of songbirds [1,9]. The twigs, bark, and leaves are eaten by white-tailed deer, moose, rabbits, and beavers [9].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
No entry.
Cover Value
The dense undergrowth of mapleleaf viburnum provides good nesting and escape cover for numerous species of birds and small mammals [9,24].
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
No entry.
Other Uses
Mapleleaf viburnum has been cultivated since 1736 for its attractive flowers and foliage [24].
Other Management Considerations
No entry.
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES10 White - red - jack pine
- FRES11 Spruce – fir
- FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
- FRES14 Oak – pine
- FRES15 Oak – hickory
- FRES17 Elm - ash – cottonwood
- FRES18 Maple - beech – birch
- FRES19 Aspen - birch
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
No entry.
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
- K095 Great Lakes pine forest
- K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest
- K097 Southeastern spruce - fir forest
- K099 Maple - basswood forest
- K100 Oak - hickory forest
- K101 Elm - ash forest
- K102 Beech - maple forest
- K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
- K104 Appalachian oak forest
- K106 Northern hardwoods
- K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
- K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
- K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
- K112 Southern mixed forest
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 5 Balsam fir
- 14 Northern pin oak
- 15 Red pine
- 17 Pin cherry
- 20 White pine - northern red oak - red maple
- 21 Eastern white pine
- 22 White pine – hemlock
- 23 Eastern hemlock
- 25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
- 26 Sugar maple – basswood
- 27 Sugar maple
- 28 Black cherry – maple
- 30 Red spruce - yellow birch
- 31 Red spruce - sugar maple – beech
- 32 Red spruce
- 33 Red spruce - balsam fir
- 34 Red spruce - Fraser fir
- 35 Paper birch - red spruce - balsam fir
- 39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
- 42 Bur oak
- 43 Bear oak
- 44 Chestnut oak
- 46 Eastern redcedar
- 58 Yellow-poplar - eastern hemlock
- 59 Yellow-poplar - white oak - northern red oak
- 60 Beech - sugar maple
- 62 Silver maple - American elm
- 75 Shortleaf pine
- 76 Shortleaf pine – oak
- 78 Virginia pine – oak
- 93 Sugarberry - American elm - green ash
- 107 White spruce
- 108 Red maple
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
No entry.
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