Growth Form: Small tree or shrub up to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 inches; crown rounded.
Bark: Brown, somewhat roughened.
Twigs: Slender, dark brown, often with small “warts”; leaf scars alternate, large, horseshoe-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Spherical, pale brown, hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, divided into 3 leaflets; leaflets mostly ovate, long-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering to the base, up to 5 inches long, up to half as wide, smooth or with fine teeth along the edges, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface; leaflets without individual stalks.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately but usually in the same cluster, appearing in late May and June, with 3-5 obscure, greenish-white petals.
Fruit: Thin, flat, nearly spherical winged seed up to 1 inch across.
Wood: Hard, heavy, close-grained, yellow-brown.
Use: The fruit at one time was used as a substitute for hops in brewing.
Habitat: Rocky, wooded slopes.