Habitat

• native to Japan
• hardy to zone 4, and warmer parts of zone 3
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• 6' to 8' tall
• an equal or greater width
• rounded, dense form
• medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• opposite, simple leaves
• simple, deciduous leaves
• ovate leaf shape
• up to 2" long
• rounded leaf base
• tomentose underside
• blue-green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color
• leaves drop green

Flowers

• creamy, white flowers
• 0.75" across
• blooms mid spring
• flowers are borne in pairs
• fragrant

Fruit

• deep, red berries
• 0.25" in diameter
• ripen late summer
• attractive

Bark

• light, brown bark
• pubescent young stems

Culture

• easy to grow
• easily transplanted
• prefers loamy, well-drained, moist soil
• full sun to partial shade
• prune after flowering

Landscape Use

• barrier
• screen or hedge
• massing or grouping
• for fragrance of flowers

Liabilities

• powdery mildew
• leaf spot
• fall webworms

ID Features

• small, blunt buds
• fragrant flowers
• opposite leaf arrangement
• small red fruit
• no fall color

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Xanthocarpa' - yellow fruiting cultivar