Question: I've been struggling for years now trying to distinguish Viburnum nudum from V. lentago. I understand that the V. nudum …
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Question
I've been struggling for years now trying to distinguish Viburnum nudum from V. lentago. I understand that the V. nudum leaves are generally entire (w/o teeth) to wavy; whereas V. lentago leaves are finely toothed and come to a narrow tip. The picture below was taken at Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, NH on 6/10/2017. The leaves are clearly toothed but not as finely so as in those shown on your site. Can this be definitively confirmed as V. lentago?
Answer
Dear gdewolf, this image looks like Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides. While the leaves are useful, a better character is the peduncle (i.e., stalk to the inflorescence). Viburnum nudum has a long, unbranched stalk prior to the branching of the inflorescence whereas Viburnum lentago essentially lacks one (or is extremely short). Once you learn this, they are way easier to distinguish.
