Japan Flora: Tree with puberulous branches; leaves narrowly or sometimes broadly ovate, 6-10 cm. long, 3-5 cm. wide, acuminate, obliquely rounded to obtuse at base, with incurved teeth except near base, scaberulons or nearly glabrous above, glaucous or in young individuals pale green beneath, short-hirsute especially on nerves, the petioles 2-7 mm. long, puberulous; drupe black when mature, 6-7 mm. across, the pedicels 2-2.5 cm. long, glabrous.

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shi-koku, Kyushu. Korea.

Korea Flora: Deciduous tree. 10 m high. winter buds long-ovate, pointed at the end, with 5-6 scales. terminal buds similar to the lateral buds (length 3-7mm). no hairs on the young branches.  leaf scars crescent-shaped or triangular. Leaves alternately arranged, elliptical, long-elliptical, or round, an acuminate tip slightly tail-like and pointed, and a rounded or broad-cuneate base.  Leaves 2-10cm × 2.5-4.5cm, with sharp serrations on the edges, but the lower part no serrations. surface dark green and rough, underside light green with hairs on the veins.  lateral veins 3 pairs.  petiole 5-12mm long, with or without hairs. Flowers polygamous (having both bisexual and unisexual flowers), with 4 spreading petals. Male flowers stamens 4, opposite the petals, while female flowers  4 small stamens and 1 pistil, a style deeply bifurcated. Fruit drupe, round, 6-8mm in diameter, black, with a fruit stalk 17-25mm long and hairless.

Flowering : Late June.

Fruiting:  Late August to mid-October.

Distribution: Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu); south of Pyongan-namdo and Hamgyong-namdo in Korea, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, and Ulleungdo.

Taxonomic notes: The round-leaved variant is sometimes recognized as C. cordifolia Nakai, but it is considered a variation of the main species. Similarly, the yellow-fruited variant is sometimes classified as C. edulis Nakai and the black-fruited variant as C. choseniana Nakai, but they are also regarded as variations of C. jessoensis.