| Author | Rafinesque | |
| Distribution | Present over most of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, but scarce to absent at either end. It may genuinely be absent from some far eastern counties, and from Piedmont foothill counties, at least in the northwestern Piedmont. There are only a few Mountain records.
This is a mostly Southern species than ranges north only to MD, southern OH, and KS south to the Gulf Coast.
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| Abundance | Fairly common in most of the Piedmont, but seldom really common. Infrequent to fairly common in the Coastal Plain, except rare in the far eastern counties. Very rare in the Mountains, at low elevations. Unlike some other Viburnum species such as V. rafinesqueanum and V. acerifolium, observers typically only see a few scattered individuals in a given forest stand, as opposed to sometimes hundreds of individuals. | |
| Habitat | This Viburnum inhabits drier and poorer soil than most others, especially in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. It favors dry oak-hickory forest, mixed pine-oak forests, hardpan forests (mafic soils), and various rocky forests. It favors circumneutral soils as opposed to strongly acidic sites, as does V. prunifolium. However, the latter species favors moist to rich soils as opposed to poorer soil for V. rufidulum; however, both species can be seen in the same woodland. |
| Phenology | Blooms from late March to April; fruits in September to October. | |
| Identification | This is a fairly large deciduous shrub to rarely a small tree, typically growing to about 12-15 feet tall. It has leaves rather similar to those of V. prunifolium – opposite, widely elliptic to about 2-2.5 inches long, and finely serrate on the margins. However, this species has thicker leaves that are clearly shiny above; also, the leaves are somewhat rusty-dotted below. Its inflorescence is the standard Viburnum one of a gently rounded cluster of small white flowers. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
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| Other Common Name(s) | Southern Blackhaw, Rusty Nannyberry, Blue Haw | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | UPL link |
| USACE-emp | UPL link |
