Native Plants

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Sunday - October 25, 2009

From: Saddle River, NJ
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Deer are devastating understory in our woods. We have a highly resistant shrub purchased years ago at the state arboretum plant sale. It is about 5-6' tall, somewhat wider than that, many suckers/offshoots surrounding the parent shrub. It has simple, opposite finely and unevenly toothed leaves, prominent veins, particularly on the underside (about 8 big ones and then several small ones merging together at the end of the leaf.) Distinctive fruit - a 3 berried cluster only at the end of the stalk, each berry 1/4 in., currently with dried blue/black covering with a single seed inside. The seed is lt. beige/tan with "scaling" covering patterened a bit like overlaping in a pine cone. Fruit has 3 dried, open bracts behind the cluster. Plant has good sized white flowers about late May. To some extent, leaf is kind of like an arrow wood viburnum but not as rounded. It still is bright green while most other leaves are turning here in northern NJ. I work with a volunteer organization which is promoting deer-resistant plantings and want to propagate and distribute this shrub. What should I say it is ??

ANSWER: