Tree · Caprifoliaceae

Southern arrowwood

Viburnum dentatum · includes its varieties and subspecies

Southern arrowwood is recorded as native to 16 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 358 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Southern arrowwood at a glance

Native in: 358 counties, across 16 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 5a PLANTS minimum temperature −24°F
Mature height: 8 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade Moisture use not recorded

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 5a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −24°F; zone 5a winters bottom out at −20°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 358 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Delaware 2 counties
District of Columbia 1 county
Georgia 21 counties
Illinois 38 counties
Indiana 24 counties
Kentucky 33 counties
Maine 15 counties
Missouri 1 county
New Jersey 21 counties
North Carolina 15 counties
Ohio 50 counties
Pennsylvania 18 counties
South Carolina 19 counties
Tennessee 22 counties
Virginia 72 counties
West Virginia 6 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record of a variety (VIDED4). “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 8 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Multiple Stem
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: Not recorded
Drought tolerance: Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 32 to 100 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 4.5 to 7.3
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Not recorded
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: Not recorded

Climate

Minimum temperature: −24°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 5a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 163
Fire tolerance: Not recorded

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: White
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Early Spring
Foliage color: Yellow-Green
Showy in fall: Yes
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Black

Other

Toxicity: Not recorded
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Not recorded
Family: Caprifoliaceae
PLANTS symbol: VIDE

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Viburnum dentatum (PLANTS symbol VIDE), including 1 variety or subspecies folded into the species.
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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