Bark: Smooth and gray at first, becoming darker and scaly at maturity.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown or grayish, smooth; leaf scars alternate, slightly elevated, narrowly crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Slender, pointed, reddish-brown, smooth, up to ¾ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades elliptic to ovate, pointed at the tip, usually rounded at the base, up to 3 inches long, about ½ as broad, finely toothed along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface; leafstalks slender, up to 1 inch long, smooth.
Flowers: Up to 6 in drooping clusters, appearing after the leaves are half grown, each showy with 5 white, narrow petals, with most of the flower smooth.
Fruit: Usually spherical, up to ¼ inch in diameter, dark purple, sweet, fleshy, 1- to 2-seeded.
Wood: Hard, heavy, close-grained, dark brown.
Uses: Fuel, tool handles; the fruits are edible.
Habitat: Moist woods and slopes.
Range: Newfoundland across to Ontario, south to Iowa, Illinois, and Georgia.