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 Appearance:
Tall understory shrub or small tree, grows up to 25' high, has a spreading
loosley branched crown, often multiple stems at the base. Cut branch
exposes yellow sapwood and orange heartwood. Brown bark with elongate
silvery corky projections (caution: native plums or cherries have
a similar bark). Leaves:
Alternate, thin, ovate or elliptic, smooth, dark, glossy, margins are
not toothed; stay green late into fall. Flower:
Inconspicuous, appear in May or June, clustered in the axils of leaves.
Fruit:
Ripens progressively from a distinctive red to a dark purple in August
and September. Seeds:
Viable for 2-3 years in the soil. Root:
Extensive fibrous root system. |
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Aggressively invades wetlands including acidic
bogs, calcareous fens and sedge meadows. Also grows in upland habitats,
tolerates full sun to deep shade. Plants leaf out early and retain
leaves late into the fall creating dense shade. Seeds have laxative
effect on birds who disperse them. Introduced to North America as
ornamental shrub, often planted in hedgerows.
Legal Status:
This plant is a restricted noxious weed in Minnesota and the importation,
sale, and transportation of the plant or its propagating parts is
illegal in the state except as provided by Minnesota Statutes, section
18.82.
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 Wisconsin
Manual of Control Recommendations for Ecologically Invasive Plants,
1997 |
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