Branching shrub to 1.5 m, the slender purplish stems hairy above; lvs oval or ovate, 2-4 cm, obtuse or rounded at both ends, hairy beneath; fls in dense clusters from the uppermost axils, sessile or nearly so; cor 2-4 mm, the lobes half as long as the tube; anthers and villous style included; fr red, persistent, 5-7 mm; 2n=18. Dry or rocky soil and margins of woods; Conn. to N.C. and La., w. to Mich. and Colo. June-Aug. (S. symphoricarpos)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.