Korea Flora: Deciduous shrub. Height 2m. Winter Buds and Stems: Buds globose with pointed apex (2-4mm long); branches with distinctly angled thorns divided into 3-5 parts, 8-20mm long. Leaf scars shallow crescent-shaped. Two-year-old branches grayish-yellow or gray, with 3 somewhat longer thorns (7-23mm). Leaves: Alternate on new shoots, appearing clustered on short branches; elliptic or obovate-elliptic, apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, 3-8cm × (1.0)1.5-3(4.0)cm, with sharp irregular spine-like serrations set relatively close together (1.0-3.4mm apart), numerous teeth. Lower surface wrinkled, light green. Petiole very short, 2-12mm. Flowers: Racemes 4-6(10)cm long, semi-pendulous with 10-25 flowers; pedicels 4-10mm long. Flowers 1cm in diameter; petals slightly small and concave. Fruit and Seeds: Ellipsoid, 1cm long, red.

Sporophyte Chromosome Number: 28, 42
Flowering Period: Late May to June (until late June in Gangwon-do)
Fruiting Period: Late September to mid-October
Distribution: Northeastern China, Far Eastern Russia, Japan; North and South Hamgyeong-do, North and South Pyeongan-do, and Gangwon-do (Korea)

Taxonomic Notes: B. amurensis var. quelpaertensis (Nakai) Nakai and B. amurensis var. latifolia Nakai were previously distinguished by number of flowers in inflorescence and leaf shape (Hyun and Kim, 2008), but are now considered synonyms of B. amurensis as they represent continuous variation within the species.