Leaf
Salicyna, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japanese snowball
Viburnum plicatum Thunb.
Also known as: Doublefile viburnum
Family: Adoxaceae
2 to 3 m tall
Shrub planted singly or in borders, recognisable by its tiered habit in horizontal layers.
Flowering: May – June
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its branches grow horizontally in successive tiers, so that the rows of white flowers seem to be laid out on stacked plates, a habit so characteristic that it can be recognised from afar even without flowers.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, opposite, ovate, strongly pleated and veined, toothed
🌸 Flowers
White, gathered in flat corymbs arranged along tiered horizontal branches; some cultivars bear sterile flowers in a ring around the fertile flowers
🍎 Fruits
Small drupes, red then black when ripe, appreciated by birds
🪵 Bark
Brown-grey, barely fissured
🗺️ Distribution
Native to China, Japan and Taiwan, widely grown in Europe as an ornamental shrub
🐝 Value for pollinators
Fertile flowers visited by foraging insects; fruits sought after by birds
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a specimen for its architectural tiered habit, in borders or at the back of an informal hedge
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Fruits slightly toxic if ingested, like most viburnums.
🌿 Other Adoxaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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