This small native tree has a smooth bark and grows to 25 feet tall (B). In winter it shows red-brown twigs pointed upward (C). These trees are conspicuous in late March and early April, when they are among the first to bloom (A,D,E). Dense white flower clusters appear well before the oval, 2-4 inch long leaves. By June, its green berries turn bright red (F). They are usually eaten by birds before they ripen to purple (G). By October these trees again become conspicuous when their leaves turn a warm reddish brown (H).
Grows in open woods, slopes and bluffs, flowering in March and April. In Fontenelle Forest, uncommon; several below the lowest loop of the Riverview Boardwalk. At Neale Woods, uncommon along Settler’s Trail above Rock Creek.
Native Americans mixed the dried fruit with cornmeal to make bread. Early settlers used the fruit in pies and muffins.
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