Identification
- Sprawling shrub, 3 to 8 feet.
- Leaves large (4 to 8 inches), opposite, heart-shaped, rough surface, finely toothed edge.
- Saucer-sized clusters of many white flowers.
- Large flowers (sterile) surround tiny inner flowers (fertile).
- Clusters of red to deep-blue berries form in Aug-Oct.
| Flowering |
Are some or all of the plant (s)...
Before flower - The tiny white flowers are not yet open.
In flower - The tiny white flowers are open enough to allow access to a pollinator, but not all petals have wilted or dropped.
Past flower - Petals have wilted or dropped. The remaining small whitish-yellow ovaries will begin to grow into green fruits
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| Fruiting |
Are some or all of the plant(s)...
Before ripe fruit - The fruits have not turned deep-blue. Clusters of the fruits are initially green. While they develop, they will first turn red before they eventually ripen and become deep-blue.
Ripe fruit - The fruits have turned from red to deep-blue.
After ripe fruit - We are not monitoring this stage for this spcies. Because not all flowers will develop into fruits, it is difficult to determine if a “missing” fruit at the end of an empty stem is the result of fruit that already fully ripened and dispersed, or the result of a flower that was not pollinated and therefore never began to develop into a fruit.
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Fun Facts
This species occupies moist deciduous or mixed coniferous woodlands at low to medium elevations.
This scraggly shrub has bright-yellow, bronze-red, or deep-purple autumn coloration.
Its branches often bend and take root, tripping or hobbling passers-by; hence its common name.
Different parts of this plant are used extensively by wildlife for food and cover, especially the fruits, flowers, bark and leaves.
