Arrow Wood

mapleleaf viburnum
dockmackie
mapleleaved arrow-wood
possum-haw
squash-berry
guelder-rose

More info for the term: cover

The dense undergrowth of mapleleaf viburnum provides good nesting and
escape cover for numerous species of birds and small mammals [9,24].

More info for the terms: drupe, fruit, shrub

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].

Mapleleaf viburnum occurs from southern Ontario to Quebec, south to
eastern Texas, and east to the northern panhandle of Florida [5,9,24].

More info for the term: top-kill

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.

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

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].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

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

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

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

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

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

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].

More info for the term: codominant

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].

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

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 ON PQ

Mapleleaf viburnum has been cultivated since 1736 for its attractive
flowers and foliage [24].

More info on this topic.

Mapleleaf viburnum flowers from May to August, depending on location.
Fruits ripen from July to October [9,11].

More info for the terms: fire regime, rhizome, shrub

Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)


FIRE REGIMES : Find fire regime information for the plant communities in
which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: seed, stratification

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].

More info on this topic.

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].

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].