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Hobble-Bush. American Wayfaring-Tree

Viburnum lantanoides. Honeysuckle Family.

Leaves.--Rounded; pointed; closely toothed; heart-shaped at the base; the veins beneath as well as the stalks and small branches being covered with a rusty scurf. Flowers.--White; small; in flat-topped clusters; appearing in April and May. Calyx, Corolla, etc.--As in above. Fruit.--Coral-red; berry-like.

The marginal flowers of the flat-topped clusters of the hobble-bush, like those of the hydrangea, are much larger than the inner ones, and usually are without either stamens or pistils; their only part in the economy of the shrub being to form an attractive setting for the cluster, and thus to allure the insect visitors that are usually so necessary to the future well-being of the species. The shrub is a common one in our northern woods and mountains, its coral-red, berry-like fruit and brilliant leaves making it especially attractive in the later year. Its straggling growth, and the reclining branches which often take root in the ground, have suggested the popular names of hobble-bush and wayfaring-tree.