Viburnum odoratissimum sweet viburnum

Viburnum odoratissimum blooms in the Inner Quad. Sairus Patel, 16 Jun 2019

An old-fashioned shrub or small tree that deserves to be planted more. It appears in a 1955 map of the Inner Quad, in the inner northwest island. Today, a sturdy sweet viburnum with two closely placed trunks, formerly taken for an evergreen privet, grows in the inner southwest island. Its shiny evergreen leaves arranged in pairs and fragrant clusters of small white flowers in spring are indeed characteristics of the glossy privet. But the viburnum’s leaf margins are serrated, and its sweetly scented flowers have 5 petals. The privet’s leaf margins are smooth, and the flowers 4-petaled with a scent not all find appealing.

There is only one other example known on campus. Walk down the path on the west side of Norcliffe Hall, from Santa Teresa Street. When you reach the arcade steps, see it on the right, next to a Portuguese laurel, another old-timey shrubby tree (map pin).