In June, Viburnum opulus develops its beautiful white flowers. They are gathered in flat podbaldach with a diameter of up to 10 cm. Large, small on the edge with stamens and pistils.This shrub naturally occurs in Europe, northern Africa and northern Asia.In Poland it grows in wet forests (called riparian forests, hailstones) and thickets.
It grows up to 4 meters. It has often rooting branches that touch the ground. Flower buds in the year preceding flowering (August). Broad-ovate leaves, 3-5-lobed, turn a beautiful scarlet-purple color in autumn. The fruits are blood-red, shiny, ripen in September, stay on the twigs for a very long time (often until spring).
Coral viburnum grows best in fertile and moist soils, they can even be sandy, but rich.It is best to be planted in a bed, where it will be a beautiful background for other shrubs and perennials. It is suitable for urban cultivation, for example in parks or around bodies of water, due to its very decorative flowers and red fruit.
Healing viburnum
Coral viburnum is a valued medicinal plant.The herbal raw material is the bark used to prepare a decoction or extract with a relaxing, sedative, anti-hemorrhagic and analgesic effect.
This decoction also soothes discomfort during menstruation, but before using it, you should always consult a doctor. Harvesting and drying the bark is best done in late fall or early spring. To do this, first cut the twigs, then peel the bark, and then dry it at a temperature of up to 50 ° C.
The fruits of viburnum contain poisonous saponins, to which large animals and children are most sensitive.Due to the content of poisonous compounds, fruit is not a medicinal raw material.
