Thicket/ Arrow Wood

COMMON NAME: Arrow-Wood

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Southern Arrow Wood, Arrowwood viburnum

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Viburnum dentatum

FAMILY: Caprifoliaceae

COMMUNITY: Thicket

STATUS: Native   

LIFESPAN: Woody Shrub

HEIGHT: 3 to 15 feet

FLOWERING TIME: Mid May to mid July

FRUITING TIME: Early August to October

DISTRIBUTION: Maine to Florida ~ Statewide but rare in Pine Barrens in New Jersey

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Shrub ~ Bark gray-brown or reddish ~ Leaves, opposite, lance to oval shape, margins sharply, each vein end has tooth, 1 ½  to 4 inches long, hairy beneath ~ Twigs velvety hairy ~ Flowers umbelliform, white, 5 petals ~ Fruit fleshy, one seed, small, blue-black, in upright clusters

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Caprifoliaceae family commonly called the Honeysuckle family consists of 16 genera and 365 species of shrubs, lianas, small trees and a few herbs found chiefly in north temperate and boreal region and tropical mountains.  Family members include the ornamental shrubs Snowberry (Symphoricarpus), Elder (Sambucus), and species of Virburnam, Abelia, and Weigelia. The common name, Arrow-Wood, is based either on the long, straight stems or the arrowhead-like leaf shape. Arrow-Wood is a tall shrub of wet or dry ground in or near swamps and water courses.  It typically grows as a cluster of long, slender, sparsely branched, arching stems.  Arrow-Wood is salt-tolerant. The thickets of Arrow-Wood are an important nesting site.  The fruit ripens in late summer or fall and is eaten by many kinds of wildlife such as ruffed grouse, brown thrasher, cedar waxwing, red squirrel and white-tailed deer.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.