| General Description | A low branching spreading plant due to its adventitious roots becoming wider than tall at maturity. Light green flowers are produced on last seasons wood. The leaves are obovate, simple, alternate, slightly scalloped, lush green and glabourous turning pale yellow in autumn |
| ID Characteristic | An intensely potent smell is released when the foliage is crushed. |
| Shape | Mounded, wider than tall at maturity. |
| Landscape | A dense plant with landscape uses include hedging, massing or as an informal shrub. |
| Propagation | Seed may be sown outdoors in a cold frame (collected when fresh), when seedlings are large enough they should be 'pricked-off' into pots and grown on in the greenhouse for at least the first winter. Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in late July to August collected with a heel produce above average results when rooted in a frame with mist and bottom heat. Root cuttings about 3-5 cm long and taken during the dormant season will also produce reliable results. |
| Cultivation | Prefers well drained nutrient rich soils in full sun to partial shade. It is a salt tolerant species. |
| Pests | Deer-resistant and pest resistant |
| Notable Specimens | Michael Dirr notes in his 'Manual of Woody Landscape Plants' a mature specimen at the Arnold Arboretum, in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts
growing in partial shade. Also found at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. |
| Habitat | Found at elevations to 180 m in scrub, cliffs and woods. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Light grey, smooth bark. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Buds are produced off of the leaf axils of previous years growth and are obovate in shape to about 2 cm long. |
| Leaf Description | Glabourous, obovate mature leaves that are slightly scalloped and a rich green turning pale yellow in autumn to 7 cm in length, leaves begin to emerge late March. |
| Flower Description | Dioecious flowers, blooming from previous years growth in April- May.
|
| Fruit Description | Symmetrical 4 sectioned fruit in shell like pod, 2 cm in length, with one, round black seed per pod. |
| Colour Description | Rich green, turning pale yellow in autumn. |
| Texture Description | Glabourous leaves, smooth bark. |
