A large, sterile, snowball type maturing 8-10' tall and wide with a more tiered habit than the type. White snowball flowers are larger and appear earlier than other f. plicatum and can be flushed with pink or a hint of apricot. Leaves are also wider and more rounded than other f. plicatum with the veins being tinted red on the underside. Introduced by Hesse Nurseries, Germany, in the late 1800's. Zone 5
While V. plicatum is the correct name for the species as a whole, individual plants belong either to V. plicatum f. plicatum (the cultivated sterile or snowball forms) and V. plicatum f. tomentosum (the wild fertile forms with lacecap flowers - an outer ring of large sterile ray flowers and an inner circle of smaller fertile flowers). The common name for the species V. plicatum f. plicatum (the snowball form) is Japanese Snowball and all of its cultivars are commonly called Japanese Snowball. The common name for V. plicatum f. tomentosum and its cultivars is Doublefile Viburnum.