Plant Preference/Growing Conditions:

Prefers temperate conditions, though has cold hardiness. Prefers light levels from full sun to partial shade. Highly adaptive to different soil qualities. 

Growth Habit/Description:

Multi-stemmed shrub that grows on average to about 9 feet tall by 9 feet wide, though can grow up to 15 feet in height. Medium growth rate, becomes arching, spreading, grows in an upright manner. Basal shoots grow very rapidly. Strongly veined, medium to dark green lustrous leaves that grow in an opposite manner. Twigs gray-brown, lenticeled (has pores on wood).  Basal suckers constantly emerge from this shrub, and old branches arch with age. Trunks become gray and fissure with maturity.

Bloom Season:

In late May and Early June, numerous small, creamy white flowers bloom on the Smooth Arrowwood.

Fall and/or Winter Interest?

Yes. Fall colors include green, orange, yellow, and red. Small blue fruits mature in late summer, and fall off as late as october if not eaten by birds.

Host Plant for Caterpillars?

Yes.  Smooth Arrowwood is a host plant for the Spring Azure Butterfly(Celastrina Ladon) .

Other Known Ecological Value?

Yes.   Berries are highly sought out by birds, and are often gone before the Arrowwood sheds its berries in October. As a dense shrub, provides cover for small animals and insects. 

Origin of Name:  Dentatum translates as "toothed", referring to the leaf margins.

Dentatum Variants:  'Autumn Jazz': More compact, foliage becomes a mix of red, orange, and yellow in the fall.

'Chicago Lustre': Very dark, glossy foliage, turns gold or purple in the fall.

'Northern Burgundy': Dark or light green foliage that becomes a mix of burgundy, red, and purple in the fall.

Use For Food/Medicine:

Fruit is edible raw or cooked and quite sweet, though there is little flesh around the seed. Twigs, when concentrated, have been used to abort children, and poultice of the plant has been used to treat women's legs after childbirth.

Henry, J. & Kaiser, J. (2000, Dec 13) Smooth Arrowwood Planting Guide, Elsberry Plant Materials Center, Elsberry, Missouri  Available at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mopmcpgvide.pdf

Biggs, S. Viburnum Dentatum, OSU PlantFacts   Available at: https://plantfacts.osu.edu/tmi/Plantlist/vi_tatum.html

Lessard, E. (August 4, 2025) Native Plant Profile: Arrowwood Viburnum, The Plant Native Available at: https://theplantnative.com/plant/viburnum/arrowwood-viburnum/

L. Viburnum Dentatum, Plants for a Future

Available At: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Viburnum+dentatum

Donabella D. (Dec 26, 2012) Simply the Best - December, Garden's Eye View

Available at: https://gardenseyeview.com/tag/viburnum-dentatum/