Estimated Height at Pickup: 2-3’, 3 gal

The wild type of the common cultivar- boasts the same showy spring flowers and bright red fruits while supporting wildlife and blending in with natural plantings! Drupes (berries) are high in fat, so are particularly valued by wildlife. Prefers part shade and soils with some loam- tolerates full shade but does not flower well.

Pollination: 2+ individuals needed.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade, Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic

Soil Type: Loam, Clay loam, Rocky Loam

Height: 10’-30’

Width: 10’-30’

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: Apr-May

Fruit: Red drupes (berries) mature in late fall.

Fall Color: Red, Purple

Root Type: Taproot

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract mainly bees and small flies. Hosts the spring azure butterfly, a moths including the cecropia and buttercup moths, a few beetles, borers, and small insects. A wide variety of birds and mammals feed on the drupes, including cedar waxwings, cardinals, thrushes, flickers, squirrels, and chipmunks. Commonly browsed by deer and rabbits.

Notes: Tolerates acidic soils. Prone to anthracnose, which is capable of killing trees. The tree’s true flowers are small and themselves insignificant- the showy white ‘petals’ are actually modified leaves that make the flowers obvious to pollinators. Wood is impact resistant so has been used for making mallets and weaving shuttles. Roots were historically used to make a red dye.