Shrub to 1 m; lvs deciduous, oblanceolate to oblong, 4-8 cm, tapering to the base; fls appearing in early spring in sessile lateral clusters of 2-4; hypanthium 7-9 mm, pubescent; sep ovate, pink to purple or white, 5 mm; fr red or yellow, to 1 cm; 2n=18. Native of Eurasia, well established as an escape from cult. from N.S. and Nf. to N.Y. and O.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
