Viburnum × bodnantense 'Dawn'
Common name: 
Dawn Bodnantense Viburnum
Pronunciation: 
vi-BER-num bod-nant-EN-see
Family: 
Adoxaceae, Caprifoliaceae
Genus: 
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous shrub, medium to large,  8-10 ft (2.4-3 m), upright.  Leaves simple, opposite, narrow-ovate, 5-10 cm long, deeply veined, serrated margin, bronzy when emerging, but deep green later.  Blooms in fall and winter after leaf fall.  Fragrant pink flowers in 2.5-5 cm wide heads.   Wet weather and frosts may limit flowering display.  Branches often forced inside for a winter bouquet.  Leaves opposite, simple, to 10 cm long, lanceolate to ovate-obovate, serrate.  Sometimes produces fruit in late summer; ellipsoid, red and finally black.
  • Sun
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4       'Dawn' is the "type" of the hybrid, a cross of two Asiatic species, V. farreri and V. grandiflorum.
  • A few other cultivars:
    • 'Charles Lamont' - dark pink flowers, flower cluster somewhat larger than 'Dawn'
    • 'Deben' - stiff habit, 8-10 ft (2.4-3 m) tall, flowers whitish, turning red, slightly fragrant
    • 'Pink Dawn' - upright habit, flowers pink, rose in the bud, fragrant, deeply veined leaves. Probably often sold as 'Dawn' and vice-versa.
  • bodnantense: refers to Bodnant Gardens, North Wales, where the hybrid was raised in 1935.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: behind Dixon Lodge, near Jefferson Ave.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, flowering, late winter

    plant habit, flowering, late winter

  • flower clusters

    flower clusters

  • flowers

    flowers

  • new leaves

    new leaves

  • mature leaves

    mature leaves

  • leaf and margin

    leaf and margin

  • leaves and fruit

    leaves and fruit