Plant
shrub-like to trees up to 20 m tall; bark gray-brown, smooth or old trunks
flaky; leaf blades ovate, 4-10 cm long; flowers numerous in a hemispheric head,
1-2 cm broad, surrounded by an involucre of 4-8; usually 5 or 6, obovate,
creamy-colored bracts, 4-6 cm long; drupes shiny orange-red, 25-40 in each
cluster, each tipped with a persistent calyx; blooms in the spring and often
again in the fall; open woods. A
highly-prized native ornamental tree.
