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Physocarpus opulifolius
Also called Ninebark, Atlantic Ninebark, Eastern Ninebark, Viburnum Leaved Ninebark
Common ninebark is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant deciduous shrub native to eastern North America, grown for its peeling bark and ornamental foliage. It adapts to almost any soil and sun or partial shade, making it easy to grow.
Physocarpus opulifolius, known as common ninebark, Eastern ninebark, Atlantic ninebark, or simply ninebark, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to eastern North America, named for its peeling multi-hued bark.
Physocarpus opulifolius is found in eastern North America on rocky hillsides and banks of streams as well as in moist thickets, especially in counties south of the Missouri River. There is also a scarcely distinguishable form in the Rocky Mountain region and the Pacific Northwest. Its native range is from New York to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Florida, Arkansas and Kansas. But it can be found from Quebec west to Minnesota, South Dakota and Colorado, south to Oklahoma to Georgia and north to New York. The shrub is an escape, or a wild plant formerly cultivated, northeastward.
The ability of P. opulifolius to grow in harsh conditions makes it especially suitable for erosion control on banks. But it is also grown for its ornamental foliage. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Dart's Gold', 'Diabolo', and 'Tuilad' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Newer cultivars offer different foliage color as well as smaller overall plant size.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Physocarpus opulifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
