Flowering shrub

Chinese snowball viburnum

Viburnum macrocephalum

🌷 Flowering shrub

Chinese snowball viburnum is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 23 states.

–states

23of our state lists

86U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington

Quick look

Viburnum macrocephalum, common name Chinese snowball, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae, native to mainland China. Its fertile form, Viburnum macrocephalum f. keteleeri, is of great cultural significance in China.
From Wikipedia's article Viburnum macrocephalum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Viburnaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 29 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #130 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 13 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #144 among the 192 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 13 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #128 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

Chinese snowball viburnum gift ideas

Handmade chinese snowball viburnum gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Chinese snowball viburnum art print
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Chinese snowball viburnum greeting card
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Chinese snowball viburnum mug
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Chinese snowball viburnum earrings
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Chinese snowball viburnum embroidery pattern
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Chinese snowball viburnum sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3 records)

Bloom time in each of our 23 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	🌷 Garden	few records	29
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	13
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	13
Texas	🌷 Garden	few records	6
Alabama	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Tennessee	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Maryland	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Pennsylvania	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	few records	0
California	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Connecticut	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Indiana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Ohio	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Oklahoma	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Oregon	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	few records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead.
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead.
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). ^2VAC5-320-10
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead.
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Connecticut: Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead.
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). ^{MESA list}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead.
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead.
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Viburnum lentago (“Black Haw”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.