Habitat

• native to the central United States, est of the Rocky Mountains
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• multistemmed
• rounded to irregular shape
• upright ascending branches that arch over
• typically produces numerous, vigorous sucker shoots
• somewhat loose and open
• 6' to 8' tall

Summer Foliage

• deciduous leaves in an alternate arrangement
• leaves have 3 to 5 large lobes
• leaf margins coarsely toothed
• leaf color is bluish-green
• petioles are relatively long

Autumn Foliage

• base color is yellow with red mixed in
• moderately showy

Flowers

• blooms in late April to early May
• small tubular yellow flowers in clusters to 5 to 10
• flowers somewhat nodding
• dioecious, with male and female plants
• flowers are very fragrant with a spicy, clove-like scent

Fruit

• a black berry
• 0.33" in diameter
• produced in July; only on female plant

Bark

• not ornamentally important

Culture

• easy to grow
• soil adaptable
• full sun is best
• tolerates shade
• can be rejunvenated with heavy pruning

Landscape Use

• shrub borders
• for fragrant flowers
• mass plantings

Liabilities

• somewhat difficult plant to keep looking tidy
• alternate host for white pine blister rust
• cannot be planted in some northern areas where white pine is plentiful due to quarantine laws
• leaf spot and mildew can cause early defoliation

ID Features

• clove-like fragrant yellow flowers
• blue-green 5-lobed leaves with long petioles
• ascending branches, eventually arching over
• basal suckering with vigorous shoots

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

f. xanthocarpum - This natural variant bears yellow fruit.

'Crandall' - Not commonly available, this cultivar was selected for its larger edible fruit and disease-resistant foliage.