Twigs: Stout, dark brown, covered by velvety hairs; leaf scars nearly encircling the twigs, with 6-9 bundle traces.
Buds: More or less rounded, hairy, about ⅛ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with up to 31 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, up to 5 inches long, less than 2 inches broad, pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the usually asymmetrical base, toothed along the edges, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth except for the hairy veins on the lower surface. The leaves turn purple to red to orange in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate sometimes borne on separate plants, sometimes on the same plant, sometimes in the same flower, numerous in much branched clusters, appearing from June to August, each flower greenish, greenish-yellow, or reddish.
Fruit: Dense cluster of red berries, each berry round, conspicuously hairy, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, containing a single brown seed.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, coarse-grained, orange.
Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Habitat: Woods and thickets.
Range: Nova Scotia across to Minnesota, south to Iowa and Kentucky, east to North Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: The densely velvety twigs are distinctive for this species.