Viburnum tinus

Viburnum tinus (laurustinus or laurustine) is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae, native to the Mediterranean area of Europe and North Africa. Laurus signifies the leaves' similarities to bay laurel.

Description
 It is a shrub (rarely a small tree) reaching  tall and  broad, with a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are evergreen, persisting 2–3 years, ovate to elliptic, borne in opposite pairs, 4–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, with an entire margin. The flowers are small, white or light pink, produced from reddish-pink buds in dense cymes 5–10 cm diameter in the winter. The fragrant flowers are bisexual and pentamerous. The flowering period is from October to June. Pollination is by insects. The fruit is a dark blue-black drupe 5–7 mm long.

There are three subspecies:
 Viburnum tinus subsp. tinus. Mediterranean region.
 Viburnum tinus subsp. rigidum (syn. V. rigidum). Canary Islands.
 Viburnum tinus subsp. subcordatum. Azores.

Leaves have domatia where predatory and microbivorous mites can be housed.

Habitat
It grows mainly in the Mediterranean maquis and in oak forests. It prefers shady, moist areas, at an altitude of  above sea level.

Cultivation
Viburnum tinus is widely cultivated for its winter blooms and metallic blue berries. It is hardy down to . The cultivars ‘Eve Price’, ‘French White’ and ‘Gwenllian’ have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Other uses
V. tinus has a very beneficial medicinal property. The active ingredients are viburnin (a substance or more probably a mixture of compounds) and tannins. Tannins can cause stomach upset. The leaves when infused have antipyretic properties. The fruits have been used as purgatives against constipation. The tincture has been used lately in herbal medicine as a remedy for depression. The plant also contains iridoid glucosides.

Pests
In south-east Britain  Viburnum tinus is the principal host of  the viburnum beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni), the  country's "number one pest species" according to the Royal Horticultural Society.

References

External links

 Flora Europaea: Viburnum tinus
Eriksson, O., et al. 1979. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants
 Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982, Vol. II, pag. 639
 Biolib
 Viburnum tinus

Gallery

tinus
Category:Medicinal plants
Category:Garden plants
Category:Plants described in 1753
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus