Tall shrub or small tree to 10 m; lvs lance-elliptic to oblong or somewhat obovate, 8-15 cm; panicles many-fld, drooping, 1-2 dm; cor white, its lobes 15-30 mm; fr dark blue, 10-15 mm; 2n=46. Rich woods and along streams; N.J. to Fla., w. irregularly to s. O., s. Mo., e. Okla., and e. Tex. May. Functionally dioecious, the pistil of the fertile fls much larger than that of the sterile ones.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.