Widely branched small tree (or large shrub) to 10 m, the bark becoming closely and deeply checked; lvs ovate to elliptic or obovate, mostly 6-10 cm and half as wide, abruptly acuminate, pale beneath, strigillose on both sides; bracts 4, white (pink), obcordate, notched at the tip, 3-6 cm; fls yellowish, 20-30 in the cluster; fr red, ellipsoid, 10-15 mm; 2n=22. Woods; Me. to s. Ont., Mich., Ill., Mo., and Okla., s. to Fla. and ne. Mex. May, June, before the lvs are fully grown. (Cynoxylon f.)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.