This a a pretty plant. I've already praised the leaves and the general form of the plant, but now I see these berries.....The problem with red berries is that birds eat them and then the discharge the seeds randomly throughout their range with the result that maybe we have Viburnum henryi taking over habitat that we would prefer to be occupied by native plants. Or maybe not.
This invasive thing is tricky. Some are and some aren't. How do we tell? Is it better to err on the side of safety than to be careless and possibly let something dangerous loose? Nobody really knows. We do know that this shrub has been in North America about a hundred years and seems not to be a problem. I haven't even come to a conclusion myself; I do know that after digging countless Asian Viburnums out of Fern Valley over the last four years I think a bit longer before I plant a non-native Viburnum. Even if I like it a lot as I do Viburnum henryi.
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