Key Points for Identification:
- Deciduous shrub to small tree, 1-5 meters tall; smooth stems coloration of dark gray to reddish; forms dense colonies.
- Leaves are thin and round to ovate with regularly toothed edges mostly on upper half; appearing smooth but finely hairy below. Leaf blade is notched or straight at base.
- Flowers are white and showy with linear to oblong petals, narrowed at base, in short- leafy clusters of 3-30 at branch tip.
- Fruits are dark purple to nearly black, berry like pomes that are edible and sweet.
- Widespread and found at low to mid elevations in dry to moist forests, on open, dry, and warm slopes, in moist gullies in grasslands and on disturbed sites.
