Habitat

• native to North America
• hardy to zone 2

Habit and Form

• a small, deciduous shrub
• open, rounded crown
• 6' to 8' tall
• equally as wide
• medium texture
• slow growth rate

Summer Foliage

• opposite leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• 0.5" to 2" long
• up to 1" wide
• ovate leaf shape
• brown pubescence
• dark green leaf color with silvery cast

Autumn Foliage

• not ornamentally important

Flowers

• dioecious
• yellowish
• small
• blooms in early May
• not showy

Fruit

• yellowish-red achene
• ovoid
• up to 0.25" long
• matures in July

Bark

• reddish-brown stems
• scaly
• slender

Culture

• easy to grow
• soil tolerant
• prefers full sun

Landscape Use

• for poor sites
• salt tolerant

Liabilities

• foliar diseases

ID Features

• small, stalked buds with 2 or 4 valvate scales
• opposite leaf arrangement
• leaves have brown pubescence
• small, yellowish flowers

Propagation

• by seed
• by hardwood cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Rubra' and 'Xanthocarpa' - These forms are identical to the species except for their fruit color. The first cultivar bears fruit that is redder than the species, while the latter form offers yellow fruit.