Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

Viburnum x bodnantense Aberc. ex Stearn Caprifoliaceae. 'Dawn' is a cultivar which has the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Distribution: Garden hybrid between V. fragrans and V. grandiflorum. No medicinal uses. The fruit of V. japonicum is a 'famine food' eaten when all else fails. As other seeds/fruits of Viburnum species are listed as poisonous, and none are listed as 'edible', one can assume that the seeds/fruits of V. japonicum are also toxic. It does not appear vulnerable to pests or molluscs which may be due to irioid glycosides that are present in this genus produced as a defence against herbivores, fungi and bacteria. They have a bitter taste. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.