viburnum

plural viburnums · plural rare viburna

1. Any of many shrubs and trees, of the genus Viburnum, native to the Northern Hemisphere that have showy clusters of flowers.

   Thus he diſcovered two or three kinds of oaks, a few viburna, and ſome trees of the maple genus, with a wild ſort of Japaneſe pear.

   1797, William [Fordyce] Mavor, “Travels in Japan and Other Countries, by Charles Peter Thunberg, […]”, in Historical Account of the Most Celebrated Voyages, Travels, and Discoveries, from the Time of Columbus to the Present Period, volume XV, London: […] E[lizabeth] Newbery, […], →OCLC, page 218

   2 more examples

   Adowa moschatellina. — Although it quite differs from the elder-trees, viburna and honey-suckles as far as the general appearance is concerned, says Siclain, it occurs in the neighbourhood of these plants.

   1927 January, E. Gérardin, “About the So-Called Musky Odours in the Three Kingdoms of Nature”, in La Parfumerie moderne : revue scientifique et de défense professionnelle, 20th year, number 1 (overall work in French), Lyon: Publications Pierre Argence, →OCLC, page 88, column 1

   But such knowledge is simply ungermane to aesthetics. When one studies the biochemistry of plants, one may afterwards be more tolerant in one’s taste toward thornbushes and dandelions (for they too are wonderfully evolved) but still aesthetically prefer viburna and hyacinths for very good reasons that have nothing to do with botanical science.

   1980, Comparative Civilizations Bulletin, volume 9, Dayton, Oh.: International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, →ISSN, →OCLC

   Synonyms: arrowwood