| General Description | Pinnate leaves and large red fruit, the foliage grows high on the plant forming a 'canopy'.
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| ID Characteristic | Stout thick herbaceous stems, tomentose shoots, pinnate leaves on the top 1/3 of the plant. It has distinctive red berries forming a panicle at the apical meristems which remain throughout the winter.
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| Shape | Round suckering shrub which will continue to spread forming large colonies. |
| Landscape | Good for massing, screening and has good winter form.
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| Propagation | Most commonly propagated by root division. Acid scarify seeds for 2 hours then stratify them for 30 days at 5°C before sowing them 1-2 cm deep.
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| Cultivation | Prefers well drained acidic soils, it will tolerate very dry soil conditions, and thrives in full sun.
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| Pests | May suffer from verticillium wilt, powdery mildew, leaf spot, scale insects, aphids and caterpillar infestations.
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| Notable Specimens | American national co-champions are 8.5 x and 38.2 x 5.8 m in Walla Walla, Washington State, United States of America |
| Habitat | Native to forest edges and meadows across the U.S and from Quebec to southern British Columbia. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Fairly smooth greyish-brown bark. The younger shoots are herbaceous; they are purple and green with a slight pubescence.
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| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Pubescent, round, ovoid, leaf scar almost completely encircling bud. The bud is .5 cm and hugs closely to the shoot.
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| Leaf Description | Lanceolate serrate leaves in alternate pinnate form, 11-31 leaflets 5-15 cm in length and 1-3 cm wide, medium-dark green leaves turning yellow, orange, red and purple in the autumn.
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| Flower Description | An inflorescence of tiny greenish-white flowers on 15-25 cm panicles.
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| Fruit Description | Small edible crimson berries with short hairs that form a panicle at the shoot apical merstem, these remain throughout the winter.
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| Colour Description | Greyish-brown bark, medium-dark leaves that turn yellow, orange, red, purple, greenish-white inflorescence, crimson red berries.
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| Texture Description | Pubescent buds and young shoots, smooth bark and smooth leaf surface. Overall smooth pubescent texture.
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