Japan Flora: Deciduous unarmed shrub, black when dried, with fulvous glabrous branches; leaves thinly membranous, obovate-oblong to obovate, slightly oblique, 8-15 cm. long, 4-8 cm. wide, abruptly acute to acuminate, broadly short-cuneate or obtuse at base, obtusely serrulate, densely yellowish-brown pubescent beneath especially on nerves, the lateral nerves 17-23 pairs, ascending, rather closely parallel, scarcely to slightly incurved at tip, the petioles 3-6 mm. long; flowers few, in fascicles on the lower part of young branchlets, yellowish green, about 5 mm. across, the pedicels slender, 2-4 cm. longļ¼ calyx-lobes deltoid-Ianceo- late, acute, 2.5-3 mm. long; fruit globose-obovoid, 7-8 mm. across, black, with 2 stones. May-June. Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; rather rare in mountains.