Deciduous, late spring flowering North American shrub
Description: Bears clusters of white blossoms followed by showy, deep red berries that persist through the winter: leaves turn bright red in fall
Habit: Grows to 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. Upright shrub with spreading habit
Culture: Prefers well-drained soil and full sun to part shade, but adaptable to a variety of soils and situations
Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 4
Origin: North America
Attributes: Fall color, showy berries, rain garden

This attractive and vigorous North American shrub grows in bogs, swamps, and moist forests from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas, especially along the coastal areas. During the 18th century, this species was often classified as Sorbus arbutifolia but sometimes thought to be a kind of pear (hence Pyrus arbutifolia). Bernard McMahon considered it a type of Medlar, calling it “Arbutus-leaved Medlar, Mespilus arbutifolia” in the 1806 edition of his American Gardener’s Calendar and Philadelphia nurseryman John Bartram included it among other Aronias in his 1783 Broadside. This very desirable landscape plant grows into a dense clump and has few pests or diseases.zone4,zone5,zone6,zone7,zone8,zone9