National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Photographer:

Tom Ward

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Viburnum bracteatum

Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Common Names:	bracted viburnum, limerock arrowwood
Author:	Rehd.
Growth Habit:	Shrub
CPC Number:	4383

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Tom Ward

Viburnum bracteatum is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Irina Kadis contributed to this Plant Profile.

Viburnum bracteatum

The name "arrowwood" belongs to a larger species, V. dentatum, that probably includes V. bracteatum. Indians used strong shoots of these viburnums for the shafts of their arrows. Bracted viburnum is a deciduous shrub up to 3 m tall that is different from other arrowwoods in its special habitat, late flowering time, leaf shape and texture, persistent conspicuous bracts (structures of leaf origin underneath the flower), and some other minute characters (Rheder 1904, Rheder 1940).

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Alabama
Georgia
Tennessee

Habitat

V. bracteatum is part of the shrub understory in open deciduous woodland coating the calcareous bluffs, cliffs, and ledges along the Coosa River and on the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau (Foote and Jones 1994).

Distribution

V. bracteatum historical range was northwestern Georgia to northwestern Alabama. It was known from the banks of the Coosa R. near Rome in Georgia and from the Appalachian Valley in Alabama (Small 1933).

Number Left

Remaining numbers are unknown.

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1G2	3/20/2006	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	SC	1/19/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Fruits are favored by many singing birds as well as game birds (wild turkeys, pheasants, etc.) and also by small animals (chipmunks and such).

Threats

The main threat to this shrub is from quarrying of the dolomitic limestones. This has destroyed most of the type locality along the Coosa at the southern outskirts of Rome, GA, and has wiped out the Alabama locality known to Roland Harper (Kral 1983). Perpetuation of the species depends on the setting aside of some of the bluff country this shrub is known to frequent.

Current Research Summary

None known.

Current Management Summary

There is no formal management plan.

Research Management Needs

Since there are many steep limestone bluffs along and near the Coosa River where the plants should be found, further search should be conducted and likely areas should be purchased and preserved (Kral 1983).

Ex Situ Needs

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Dirr, M.A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing L. L. C.

Foote, L.E.; Jones, S.B., Jr. 1994. Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast. Oregon: Timber Press.

Godfrey, R.K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. 734p.

Jones, S.B., Jr.; Coile, N.C. 1988. The distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia. Athens, GA: University of Georgia. 230p.

Rehder, A. 1940. Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs Hardy in North America. New York, NY: The Macmillan Co.

Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. New York, NY: Hafner Publishing Company. 1505p.

Books (Sections)

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.

Journal Articles

Rehder, A. 1904. List of New England Plants-XIV. Rhodora. 6: 59.

USFWS. 1976. Proposed Endangered Status for 1700 U.S. Plants. Federal Register. 41: 24523-24572.

Reports

Kral, R. 1983. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South, Technical Publication R8-TP2. Athens, GA.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service. p.1305.

Patrick, T.S.; Allison, J.R.; Krakow, G.A. 1995. Protected plants of Georgia: an information manual on plants designated by the State of Georgia as endangered, threatened, rare, or unusual. Social Circle, Georgia: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Natural Heritage Program. p.218 pp + appendices.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010