How do you recognise Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus)?

Leaf

Daniel VILLAFRUELA, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Laurustinus

Viburnum tinus L.

Also known as: Laurustine

Family: Adoxaceae

2 to 3 m tall

Evergreen hedges, gardens, ordinary soils

Flowering: November – April

Full sun

Part shade

Shade

Hardy to -15°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

One of the few shrubs to flower in midwinter, offering nectar to early insects. David's viburnum stays low and spreading as a ground cover, with leaves marked by 3 clearly visible parallel veins and metallic blue fruits, whereas laurustinus grows as a taller, upright shrub, with leaves without marked veins and blue-black fruits.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, ovate, glossy dark green

🌸 Flowers

Clusters of small pinkish-white flowers, bright pink buds, lightly scented

🍎 Fruits

Small metallic blue-black drupes

🪵 Bark

Reddish-brown twigs, dense habit

🗺️ Distribution

Mediterranean; found in the maquis of southern France, very widely cultivated elsewhere as a hedge.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Early winter flowering, an important source of nectar for bees in times of scarcity.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Very widely used as a clipped evergreen hedge or in borders, valued for its winter flowering and metallic blue fruits.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Fruits (blue-black berries) slightly toxic if ingested, causing digestive upset.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Laurustinus

Viburnum tinus

David's viburnum

Viburnum davidii

David's viburnum stays low and spreading as a ground cover, with leaves marked by 3 clearly visible parallel veins and metallic blue fruits, whereas laurustinus grows as a taller, upright shrub, with leaves without marked veins and blue-black fruits.

🌿 Other Adoxaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.