Viburnum tinus

Viburnum tinus
Viburnum tinus flowers Viburnum tinus flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Dipsacales Family: Adoxaceae Genus: Viburnum Species: V. tinus
Binomial name
Viburnum tinus L.

Viburnum tinus (Laurustinus, Laurustinus Viburnum, or Laurestine) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Viburnum, native to the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia. Laurus signifies the leaves' similarities to bay laurel; tinus means "tenth born".

It is a shrub (rarely a small tree) reaching up to 2-7 m tall, with a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are evergreen, persisting 2-3 years, borne in opposite pairs, 4-10 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, with an entire margin. The flowers are white, produced in dense cymes 5-10 cm diameter in the winter. The fruit is a dark blue-black drupe 5-7 mm long.

There are three subspecies:

• Viburnum tinus subsp. tinus. Mediterranean region.
• Viburnum tinus subsp. rigidum (syn. V. rigidum). Canary Islands.
• Viburnum tinus subsp. subcordatum. Azores.

Cultivation and uses

It is a popular evergreen shrub widely cultivated for its winter flowering habit in regions with mild winters, grown in western Europe north to Britain, and in North America north to western British Columbia.

References

• Flora Europaea: Viburnum tinus
• Eriksson, O., et al. 1979. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants