HobblebushViburnum lantanoides
Straggling or erect shrub to 3 m. tall; flowering May, June; fruiting August, September. Outer flowers large and showy, about 1 inch wide, without stamens or pistils. Leaves broadly egg-shaped and roundish.
White-tailed deer find this species highly palatable. V. alnifolium is quickly eliminated when the deer population exceeds the carrying capacity of the habitat. It is interesting to note that in Ohio, where the deer population has risen in recent years, V. alnifolium is often found only in sites such as the sides of gorges where it is difficult for the deer to reach.
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Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet and palatable, tasting somewhat like raisins or dates. The fruits have a large seed and a thin flesh. The taste is best after a frost. The ovoid fruit is about 15mm long and contains a single large seed.
The leaves are analgesic. They have been mashed and applied to the head as a poultice to ease a migraine. A decoction of the roots has been used as a blood medicine. The decoction has been used as a fertility aid by women.
