Viburnum opulus, commonly known as the guelder-rose,[2] or guelder rose (/ˈɡɛldər/),[3] is an Old World species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae.

The common name 'guelder rose' relates to the Dutch province of Gelderland, where a popular cultivar, the snowball tree, supposedly originated.

The cultivars 'Notcutt's Variety',[7] 'Roseum'[8] and the yellow-fruited 'Xanthocarpum'[9] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

[11] The ripe fruit is often ignored by birds and avoided by humans due to a foul smell emitted when crushed, described by some as "musty socks" or "urine and vomit".

According to a legend, kalyna was associated with the birth of the Universe, the so-called Fire Trinity: the Sun, the Moon, and the Star.

In Slavic paganism kalyna also represents the beauty of a young lady, which rhymes well in the Ukrainian language: ka-ly-na – div-chy-na.

Viburnum opulus is also an important symbol of the Russian national ornamental wood painting handicraft style called Khokhloma.

[citation needed] In Romanian, which has been influenced by East Slavic culture, Viburnum opulus is called călin.