Viburnum rafinesquianum
downy arrowwood [Blooms: Aug–Sep]
Downy arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum) flowers. Top: a panicle of downy arrowwood flowers in late May. Note the characteristic sparsely toothed leaf in the background. Bottom: a close-up of individual downy arrowwood flowers with unopened floral buds in the lower left. Note the creamy white corolla lobes (“petals”) long stamens and creamy white anthers and style.
Downy arrowwood is a native shrub 3-6 feet tall when mature, one of the smallest Viburnum shrubs. The short trunk and lower branches are covered with gray, somewhat wrinkled, bark; young shoots are round in section, light green to reddish green, and slightly fuzzy with short hairs. Both the upper branches and the shoots have widely scattered, white lenticels (air pores) and bear the leaves (which are opposite). The leaves are 1.5-2.5″ long and 1-2″ across, oval or egg-shaped, with 5-10 low, coarse teeth on each side of the tip, covering at least the distal half of the leaf margin. The petioles are light green to red and 1/8-1/2″ long; they may or may not be fuzzy. The petiole base has a pair of 1/4″ long, light green to reddish green, narrow stipules. Many of the upper shoots end in 1.5-3″ wide, dome-shaped panicles of flowers with slightly fuzzy, light green branches. Individual flowers are 1/4″ across with a short, light green calyx with five short, broad teeth; a white tubular corolla with five rounded, spreading lobes; five stamens with white filaments and tan anthers that extend outside the corolla; and a single white style. The flowers have an unpleasant odor described by various sources as “rotting flesh.” The fruit is a small (1/4-1/2″) drupe (a stone fruit like cherries or a plum) 8 mm long and dark blue-violet to black at maturity. Downy arrowwood can be distinguished from other Viburnum spp. by its (1) its small size (less than six feet tall), (2) the relatively few teeth along the leaf margins (5-10 per side), (3) the short (about 1/4″) leaf petioles, (4) the small, narrow stipules at the petiole bases, and (5) its flowers’ unpleasant odor. The common name derives from the fact that the straight stems of the various arrowwoods was preferred by indigenous Americans for arrow shafts.
Downy arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum) leaves. (1) a pair of opposite downy arrowwood leaves on the tip of a twig. (2) A single downy arrowwood leaf showing the shiny upper side of the leaf (2a) and the duller underside of the same leaf (2b). (3) A single downy arrowwood leaf showing the shiny upper side of the leaf (3a) and the duller underside of the same leaf (3b). In all three cases, note the characteristic small number (<10) coarse teeth on the leaf margins on either side of the midline.
Downy arrowwood is a native shrub 3-6 feet tall when mature, one of the smallest Viburnum shrubs. The short trunk and lower branches are covered with gray, somewhat wrinkled, bark; young shoots are round in section, light green to reddish green, and slightly fuzzy with short hairs. Both the upper branches and the shoots have widely scattered, white lenticels (air pores) and bear the leaves (which are opposite). The leaves are 1.5-2.5″ long and 1-2″ across, oval or egg-shaped, with 5-10 low, coarse teeth on each side of the tip, covering at least the distal half of the leaf margin. The petioles are light green to red and 1/8-1/2″ long; they may or may not be fuzzy. The petiole base has a pair of 1/4″ long, light green to reddish green, narrow stipules.
A downy arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum) shrub growing at the south end of Stephen’s Bridge. The insert on the upper right shows a close-up of downy arrowwood flowers.
Downy arrowwood is a native shrub 3-6 feet tall when mature, one of the smallest Viburnum shrubs. The short trunk and lower branches are covered with gray, somewhat wrinkled, bark; young shoots are round in section, light green to reddish green, and slightly fuzzy with short hairs. Both the upper branches and the shoots have widely scattered, white lenticels (air pores) and bear the leaves (which are opposite). The leaves are 1.5-2.5″ long and 1-2″ across, oval or egg-shaped, with 5-10 low, coarse teeth on each side of the tip, covering at least the distal half of the leaf margin. The petioles are light green to red and 1/8-1/2″ long; they may or may not be fuzzy. The petiole base has a pair of 1/4″ long, light green to reddish green, narrow stipules. Many of the upper shoots end in 1.5-3″ wide, dome-shaped panicles of flowers with slightly fuzzy, light green branches. Individual flowers are 1/4″ across with a short, light green calyx with five short, broad teeth; a white tubular corolla with five rounded, spreading lobes; five stamens with white filaments and tan anthers that extend outside the corolla; and a single white style. The flowers have an unpleasant odor described by various sources as “rotting flesh.” The fruit is a small (1/4-1/2″) drupe (a stone fruit like cherries or a plum) 8 mm long and dark blue-violet to black at maturity. Downy arrowwood can be distinguished from other Viburnum spp. by its (1) its small size (less than six feet tall), (2) the relatively few teeth along the leaf margins (5-10 per side), (3) the short (about 1/4″) leaf petioles, (4) the small, narrow stipules at the petiole bases, and (5) its flowers’ unpleasant odor. The common name derives from the fact that the straight stems of the various arrowwoods was preferred by indigenous Americans for arrow shafts.
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![Evening primrose — clusters of yellow flowers occur at the apex of the plant. The flowers are 1-2" across, with four 1/2-1" long green sepals strongly reflected over a long (3/4-2"), green, cylindrical floral tube (the ovary is located just above the leaf axil), four heart-shaped yellow petals, eight stamens, and a single style with an X-shaped stigma. The sepals typically remain connected (in pairs) along one edge until the flower opens. The seedpods develop within the ovary (the base of the elongate floral tube); they are hairy, urn-shaped with rounded edges, and have four or eight small lobes on the apex. The seeds are claimed to remain viable in the soil for up to 70 years. The flowers open at dusk and close early in the day. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_biennis-1t-300x300.jpg)
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