Viburnum tinus

Flower and leaves

It is a shrub (rarely a small tree) reaching 2–7 m (7–23 ft) tall and 3 m (10 ft) broad,[1] with a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are evergreen, persisting 2–3 years, ovate to elliptic, borne in opposite pairs, 4–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, fine hairs persisting on the underside, with an entire margin.

The flowers are small, white or light pink, produced from reddish-pink buds in dense cymes 5–10 cm diameter in the winter. The fragrant flowers (some consider the fragrance offensive, especially after rain when it is very strong) are bisexual (monoecious — having both male and female parts on one plant) and pentamerous. The flowering period is in winter, or from October to June in the northern hemisphere. The five petals are tubular, with rounded, corolla lobes, pink in the bud but later white. There is only one whorl with five stamens. Pollination is by insects. The fruit is a dark blue-black drupe 5–7 mm long. A 2020 study of the fruit's metallic blue hue revealed microscopic globules of fat to be the cause, an example of structural color,[2] which is unusual in plants.

The leaves have domatia where predatory and microbivorous mites can be housed.[3]

Native to the Mediterranean region, Viburnum tinus prefers shady, moist areas. It is most commonly found in the western Mediterranean due to a shorter drought season and is one of the dominant species of Mediterranean sclerophyllous shrubland.[4] It has also been introduced to Australia, Pakistan, California, Oregon and Tajikistan.[5]

Viburnum tinus is widely cultivated for its winter blooms and metallic blue berries. It is hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F). The cultivars ‘Eve Price’,[6] ‘French White’[7] and ‘Gwenllian’[8] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[9]

In south-east Britain Viburnum tinus is the principal host of the viburnum beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni), the country's "number one pest species" according to the Royal Horticultural Society.[11]

The generic name of the plant derives from Latin viburnum, referring to Viburnum lantana.[12] The specific name derives from Latin tinus referring to the plant itself, Viburnum tinus.[13]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viburnum tinus.

• Flora Europaea: Viburnum tinus
• Eriksson, O., et al. 1979. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants
• Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982, Vol. II, pag. 639
• Biolib
• Viburnum tinus

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  Inflorescence
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  Close-up on flowers
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  Unripe fruits
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  Ripe fruits
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  Close-up on fruits
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