Family - Caprifoliaceae

Stems - Woody, multiple or sometimes a single trunk. A shrub or small tree to 4m tall. Twigs glabrous.

Leaves - Opposite, petiolate, 3-lobed, margins toothed or sometimes entire, glabrous above, sparsely pubescent below. Petiole glabrous, to 3cm long.

Inflorescence - Terminal, flat-topped cymes. Compound and resembling umbels, to +13cm broad. Stalks glabrous to very sparsely pubescent.

Flowers - Outer flowers sterile, white, to 2.5cm broad, slightly irregular, 5-lobed. Inner flowers fertile. Corolla to 5mm broad, white, 5-lobed, externally glabrous, internally sparsely pubescent. Lobes rounded, 2mm broad, 1mm long. Corolla tube campanulate, 3mm broad, 1.7mm long. Stamens 5, alternating with corolla lobes, erect, well exserted beyond corolla. Filaments to 5mm long, white, glabrous. Anthers tan, .7mm long.

Fruits - Red, globose to subglobose, single-seeded (drupes), to 12mm in diameter, 15mm long.

Flowering - June - July.

Habitat - Moist to wet soils of lake margins, slopes, or open woods. Also cultivated.

Origin - Native to U.S. and Europe.

Other info. - The variety americanus Ait. is commonly known as V. trilobum Marsh. - Rydberg.
This is the variety found growing wild here in the U.S. and pictured above. Other varieties from Europe are commonly cultivated here in the States. The next plant in this list, V. opulus var. roseum "Snowball", is just one of them.

Photographs taken at the Kansas City Zoo, 6-2-99, 5-1-00, and 10-16-99 respectively.