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You are here: Home / Foraging / How to Grow Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum nudum)

How to Grow Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum nudum)

April 22, 2019 by Ashley Adamant 4 Comments

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Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum nudum) is a native food plant all along the Eastern United States.  The plants thrive in wet shady areas as an understory shrub, and it’s a common food for wild birds. 

The berries are also edible for humans, and with plants bearing heavy annual crops, Wild Raisin is a good choice for permaculture plantings in shady areas beneath larger trees.

Wild Raisin Fruit Viburnum nudum

Wild Raisin Fruit Viburnum nudum (Image Source)

Other Names for Viburnum nudum

Most commonly known as Viburnum nudum, Northern Wild Raisin actually goes by a number of latin names including:

  • Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides 
  • Viburnum nitidum 
  • Viburnum cassinoides
  • Viburnum cassinoides var. harbisonii 
  • Viburnum cassinoides var. nitidum
  • Viburnum nitidum

To add to the confusion, the same plant also goes by a number of common names besides Northern Wild Raisin including: 

  • Appalachian Tea – The root bark was used medicinally by native American tribes, thus the name.  This is also the common name of a number of other unrelated plants as well. 
  • Raisinberry – Coming from the shriveled raisin-like appearance of the ripe berries.
  • Witherod, withe-rod, witherod – Old English meaning a flexible twig used to bind things together, the stems were used as a type of cordage historically.
Native Range for Viburnum nudum L. var. cassinoides

Native Range for Viburnum nudum (Image Source)

How to Grow Northern Wild Raisin

Regardless of what you call it, Viburnum nudum is a beautiful carefree landscape plant that produces showy white flower clusters in late spring to early summer, followed by edible berries in the fall.  Hardy from zone 3 to 8, it’s an adaptable plant that tolerates shade, wet soils and road salt.  

Though it thrives in wet understory conditions with part to full shade, it will survive in full sun provided there’s enough soil moisture.  Since it’s salt tolerant, it’s commonly used to prevent erosion along roadside ditches, and it can also be used in seaside plantings.  

Wild raisin plants are generally multi-stemmed bushes that can grow to 6′ tall by 6′ wide, though they’re often smaller.

Identifying Viburnum nudum

Since northern wild raisin is native to the entire east coast, it’s possible you already have it growing on your land.  It grows readily from seed, so if you can identify a specimen then you can come back in the fall to harvest the berries.  I’ve also read that it can be propagated from both hardwood and softwood cuttings.

Here’s a closeup of the flower clusters:

Wild Raisin Flowers

Wild Raisin Flowers (Image Source)

Identifying Viburnum nudum by the leaves is a bit trickier, as they’re quite variable from plant to plant. 

Some leaves are serrated, others not.  Here are the leaves on one specimen, but be aware that they may not match yours.

Wild Raisin Leaves

Wild Raisin Leaves (Image Source)

Other Unique Permaculture Plants

Looking for more unique plants to add to your permaculture food forest?  Try any of these:

  • Cornelian Cherries
  • Thimbleberries
  • Honeyberries
  • Ground Cherries
  • Linden Trees
  • Dolgo Crabapple

How to Grow Northern Wild Raisin ~ This unique permaculture plant is low maintenance and produce edible berries, as well as abundant bee forage. #wildraisin #permaculture #edible #berries #foraging

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Filed Under: Foraging, Gardening, Orchard, Permaculture

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peter Goslett

    April 30, 2019 at 6:46 pm

    I love Cornelian Cherries. They grow in Crocheron Park in Bayside, New York, and they make the most wonderful cherry jam you could ever try. Every year when they are ripe, Eastern Europeans descend on the park to collect them (which, by the way, is quite legal) I have collected them and they are wonderful.

    Reply
    • Ashley Adamant

      April 30, 2019 at 9:51 pm

      I so love cornelian cherries too!

      Reply
  2. glen miller

    February 13, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    Hello,
    A native guy for 15 years. I planted a cornus mas but didn’t know about the fruit. Thanks for your information. i am learning a lot. Where can i get the true Northern Wild Raisin plants?
    Thanks, Also trying to make salve from Cottonwood buds.
    Glen

    Reply
    • Ashley Adamant

      February 13, 2020 at 11:04 pm

      Wonderful, all sounds like a lot of fun, and cottonwood salve smells amazing. You can get northern wild raisin from fedco (https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/northern-wild-raisin-606). Good luck with it!

      Reply

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I’m an off-grid homesteader in rural Vermont and the author of Practical Self Reliance, a blog that helps people find practical ways to become more self-reliant. Read More…

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