[4] The plant grows upright with a rounded habit, oppositely arranged leaves, and terminally born flowers.

The white flowers are small, with four petals 2.3 to 3 mm (0.091 to 0.118 in) long, and clustered together in rounded clusters 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) wide called diachasial cymes,[4] produced sometime between May and July.

[5] After flowering, green fruits (drupes) are produced, and they ripen and turn white from August to October.

[5] The flowers and fruit are attached to the plant by bright red pedicels.

In the fall the foliage can take on a reddish or purplish color, though it is not overly showy from a distance.