A deciduous shrub 3 to 4 ft high; young shoots slender, usually somewhat downy. Leaves oval to oval-oblong, roundish at the base, sometimes lobed, downy beneath, 3⁄4 to 2 in. long, apex blunt. Flowers of little beauty, 1⁄4 in. long, produced at the end of the twigs during June and July in spikes or clusters up to 11⁄2 in. long; corolla pink, downy inside; stamens and style rather longer. Fruits globose or ovoid, 1⁄2 in. wide, snow-white, pulpy when ripe.
Native of North America, where it is widely distributed from the Atlantic westward, giving way in the Pacific region to the following variety, by which the species is almost wholly represented in cultivation:
var. laevigatus (Fern.) Blake S. racemosus var. laevigatus Fern.; S. rivularis Suksdorf – A taller shrub and up to 3 to 6 ft high, forming dense thickets of erect, many-branched, glabrous stems. Leaves up to 3 in. long, glabrous; fruit rather larger than in the type. This variety is a native of the western side of N. America and is the one most commonly grown in Britain and known generally as ‘snowberry’. Introduced in 1817. This well-known shrub ripens its fruit in October, and having apparently no attraction for birds, they remain on the twigs up to New Year or later, interesting for their pure whiteness. Whilst the plant repays good cultivation by the greater size and abundance of the fruit (which often weigh down the branches in graceful arches), there are few shrubs more useful for filling up dark out-of-the way corners where its invasive habit will not cause problems. Although deciduous, its stems and twigs are dense enough to make an effective screen.