Japan Flora: Shrub; branches slightly angled or terete, short-pubescent while young; leaves oblong to narrowly so, sometimes elliptic, 2-4 cm. long, 6-20 mm. wide, rounded to subacute at apex, entire or with few teeth on upper margin, silky- pubescent beneath and on margin while young, short-pubescent above only while young, often becoming glabrous on both sides, the petioles none or to 2 mm. long; inflorescence solitary on short young branchlets from the lateral buds on the previous year’s branches, umbellately racemose with a short axis, many-flowered; pedicels 7-15 mm. long; flowers white, about 7 mm. across; calyx-teeth reflexed, rounded to obtuse; stamens longer than the petals; fruiting carpels short-pubescent, about 2 mm. long. June-July.
Hokkaido, Honshu (Mutsu Prov.). Kuriles, Sakhalin, Ussuri, Manchuria, and Korea. The typical phase occurs from se. Europe to Siberia.
Korea Flora: Deciduous shrub, 1.5m tall. Branchlets pubescent when young, becoming glabrous with age. Leaves alternate, ovate or narrowly elliptic, acute apex, cuneate base, 3-3.5cm long; upper half with a few deep serrations or sometimes entire, nearly glabrous on both surfaces. Petioles 1-2cm long. Inflorescences spicate-racemose, glabrous or nearly so, borne on pubescent new shoots. Flowers 5-8mm in diameter, white; calyx lobes reflexed; petals round, shorter than stamens, white. Fruits follicles, pubescent; styles reflexed, slightly below the apex.
Flowering: May-June. Fruiting: July-August. Distribution: Northeastern China, Inner Mongolia, northern Xinjiang, southern Far East Russia (including southern Kuril Islands), Hokkaido to northern Honshu (Japan); Baekdusan Mountain area, Hamgyeongbukdo (Korea).