snowball tree

noun

1. any of several caprifoliaceous shrubs of the genus Viburnum, esp V. opulus var. roseum, a sterile cultivated variety with spherical clusters of white or pinkish flowers

Example Sentences

Viburnum, vī-bur′num, n. a genus of plants of the order Caprifoliace�, the species being shrubs with simple leaves, natives chiefly of the northern parts of the world.—Viburnum opulus is the Guelder Rose or Snowball Tree; Viburnum tinus, the Laurustinus.

From Project Gutenberg

The outer blossoms in the wild plant have an enlarged corolla, � in. in diameter, and are devoid of stamens or pistils; in the common cultivated variety all the flowers are sterile and the inflorescence is globular, hence the term “snowball tree” applied to the plant, the appearance of which at the time of flowering has been prettily described by Cowper in his Winter Walk at Noon.

From Project Gutenberg