Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: richardzane on May 11, 2011, 12:48:18 am

Title: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: richardzane on May 11, 2011, 12:48:18 am

Just wanted some confirmation on this stand of what i think is arrowwood. Viburnum.
I missed seeing it this winter,found it this spring)
 cut some dry sticks and the stuff is very hard...looks and feels like an oak dowel scraped and sanded down.
I have a nice supply of it growing on our west facing bluff and i wanted to ask y'all
if it'd be better to harvest some now? or is it best to wait for winter to cut living stuff.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: Pat B on May 11, 2011, 01:02:37 am

Looks like arrow wood viburnum to me.   I prefer to cut arrow shoots from late fall to early spring before the growing season begins. You can cut it any time. Leave the bark on while drying or it will check and be sure to cut mature canes. The mature ones will have small branches and not just leaves.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: richardzane on May 11, 2011, 01:24:10 am

thanks Pat,

I'll wait for fall.  have plenty to work on till then anyway.

planted some river cane shoots along our spring branch as it enters a field
before dropping into the creek. hoping the cane will go crazy there.
we'll see if it likes that cooler ground this summer.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: aero86 on May 12, 2011, 12:40:21 am

carefull with the cane, if your not careful, youll get hooked on it! lol.  its my favorite stuff to use!  plus its free for me! lol

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: anglobow on May 12, 2011, 10:43:50 am

Looks more like american hazelnut to me. Still makes a good arrow though.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: SA on May 12, 2011, 12:22:06 pm

patb ,does arrowwood have a dark center slightly hollow? i cut some few months ago like that ,made a couple arrows with it  good stuff if thats what it is.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: Pat B on May 13, 2011, 01:18:31 am

Anglobow, that could be Hazlenut. One way to tell the difference is the arrow wood has opposite leaves and the hazlenut has alternate leaves. Both will make good arrows.
  sa, I've never made an arrow from arrowwood. Around my house we have blackhaw viburnum(V. prunifolium). I've made good arrows from the blackhaw.

Title: Re: is this arrowwood(viburnum)?
Post by: richardzane on May 13, 2011, 12:59:57 pm

I think you guys are right! 
it IS Hazelnut bush, has the staggered leaf and is a solid shoot,no pithy core.
as a result of this discussion-I've now identified arrowwood(viburnum) growing right where i hang
my dipper at the spring.....it has opposing leaves, and the white bunch flowers.
So far i haven't found any viburnum here, that comes anywhere close to the quality of spicebush, hazel and rosebush.
but then, its gettin to be tick season and crawling through the underbrush isn't as much fun right now.

thanks for the comments...always more to learn