Russia Flora: Plant: Shrub, up to 2(4) m tall. Upper buds lanceolate, up to 20 mm long; scales light brown, densely stellate-pubescent, transversely rugose at margin. Young shoots stellate-pubescent. Leaves: Leaf blade entire, sinuate-dentate, rounded-ovate or nearly orbicular, with short acuminate apex or obtuse, with shallowly cordate base, (6)9-22(25) cm long, upper surface sparsely stellate-pubescent along veins, lower surface ± densely stellate-pubescent. Petiole 2-4 mm long, densely stellate-pubescent.
Inflorescence: Terminal, 8-10 mm long. Bracts and bracteoles about 10 mm long, deciduous. Flowers: Outer flowers sterile; corolla zygomorphic, 1-3 cm wide, white. Inner flowers fertile; corolla rotate, 7-8 mm wide, white. Fruit: Oblong-ovoid, 8-11 mm long, turning red when ripening, then becoming black.
Chromosome number: 2n=18 (Sokolovskaya, Probatova, 1985). (Table XXIX).

Distribution: Southern Sakhalin, Southern Kuril Islands (Kunashir, Iturup Islands). (Fig. 93). Found in edges and clearings of dark coniferous and mixed forests. Flowering in June. Highly ornamental species. Listed in the rare and endangered plants of the Soviet Far East (Kharkevich, Kachura, 1981).

General distribution: Japanese-Chinese (Japan, southern Korean Peninsula). Described from Japan (Honshu Island).