Habitat

• native to Japan and Korea
• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• dense, wide-spreading crown
• suckers
• 4' to 7' tall
• spread is equal or greater
• medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, lobed leaves
• 2-ranked
• 1" to 2" long
• ovate leaf shape
• serrate leaf margins
• pubescent underside
• green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• red-purple to red-orange fall color

Flowers

• white, small flowers
• clustered in terminal panicles
• 1" to 2.5" long

Fruit

• not ornamentally important

Bark

• stems are terete
• zigzag stem pattern
• brown color

Culture

• easy to transplant as a container
• prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soil
• soil tolerant
• full sun to partial shade
• needs winter protections from wind

Landscape Uses

• hedge
• massing
• screen
• border

Liabilities

• no serious pest problems
• suckers

ID Features

• superposed buds with 4 scales
• zigzag stem pattern
• terete stems
• white flowers
• lobed leaves with serrated margins
• suckers

Propagation

• by seed
• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Crispa' - This is probably the only form of the species in commerce, and it has received notice as of late for its tough constitution and utility. It differs from the species with its dissected, crinkly foliage and low-spreading groundcover habit. The thin, dense stems spread over the ground in a tangle to only 3' tall and much wider. The plant becomes slightly mounded in the middle, but prostrate at the extremities. It may be used as a groundcover, foundation shrub or as draped shrub over a wall or raised bed.