Manchurian Viburnum Seeds

This is one of my favorite viburnums both for its edible fruit and its flower display. Fragrant 4-inch clusters of white flowers followed by red fruit that turn black when fully ripe. Tastes a lot like raisins. Not a lot of pulp but has a nice sweet blend of prune. Very productive in the fruit department. Drought tolerant. Height and spread to 8 ft. depending on the location.

This species has been used in its native China. It follows in the same way that blackhaw viburnum is use and has a very similar flavor. The fruit quality of this species is good, but the yields are low in that there is not as much fruit that adheres to the seed like blackhaw. In this way it is more like the northern wild raisin viburnum with a low fruit to seed ratio. However the flavor is very good and can be nibbled on right off the bush. Because it can be diluted in processing, the flavor could still be used when mixed with other blander fruits. The yields of the berries is very high with this species and each plant is essentially covered with berries. Once ripened they are very easy to pick and the compact bush allows you to pick on the ground. The plants over time need pruning to remove weaker canes that begin failing after fruiting for many years.  

This is one durable species viburnum with edible fruit. If left on the plants too long, birds will consume the fruits as they turn black. This plant could also be part of a hedgerow type plant in mixed p90lantings as it is somewhat shade tolerant and incredibly wind and drought tolerant as well. 

To germinate the seeds: Seeds are doubly dormant so require warm, cold, warm and cold again. This would be accomplished in nature by planting in the fall and letting nature take its course. The plants produce roots in the fall and tops in the spring. However unlike other viburnums, we have had results in one year dormancy as well using a warm period for a month-cold 34-38F refrigeration and moist for 90-120 days and then planting in the spring. Sometimes for whatever reason many will come up the first year.  Otherwise it takes one more year to sprout and produce a top. This is typical with viburnum. Note: This seed is perishable and needs to be held in cold storage. I do not let it dry out and once processed, I hold it at maximum moisture after harvest so I do not let the seeds air dry much, just enough for storage without rotting or molding. This is critical to keep the seeds good.