Japan Flora: Nearly glabrous evergreen shrub to 3 m. high, with thick terete green dichotomously forked branches; leaves oblong to ovate-oblong, rarely broadly lanceolate or elliptic, 8-20 cm. long, 2~10 cm. wide, black when dried, acute to acuminate with an obtuse tip, subacute at base, obtusely toothed, lustrous and deep green on upper side, the petioles 2-3 cm. long; flowers about 7 mm. across, the petals short- acuminate, reflexed, brown to dark purple, rarely green inside, the staminate in panicles 7-10 cm. long, the pistillate in panicles 1-2 cm. long; peduncles and pedicels short-pubescent; fruit ellipsoidal to ovoid-ellipsoidal, red, glabrous, lustrous, 15-20 mm. long.  Mar.-May. Woods in lowlands and mountains;

Honshu (Kanto Distr. and westw.), Shikoku, Kyushu; common. Variable and with many cultivars grown in gardens.

var. borealis Mtyabe & Kudo. Plant smaller, usually minutely pubescent on petioles, under side of leaves, and on young branchlets. Hokkaido and Japan Sea side of Honshu.