Shrub to c. 5 m high, evergreen to semi-deciduous; stems with yellowish lenticels, glabrous or with dense short antrorse hairs. Leaves elliptic, ovate or obovate, mostly 2–6 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, rounded and apiculate or acute to acuminate, c. concolorous, glabrous; petiole 1–5 mm long. Panicles 5–15 cm long, pyramidal to ovoid; pedicels to 2 mm long. Calyx 2–3 mm long, with obscure triangular teeth; corolla 6–8 mm long, white; corolla-tube slightly longer than lobes, lobes reflexed at anthesis; stamens 3–3.5 mm long, anthers exserted. Berry globose, 8–10 mm diam., fleshy, purplish black; seeds 1–2. Flowers late spring–summer.
VVP, GipP, Gold, CVU, HSF. Also naturalised in WA. Native to Japan and Korea. Recorded in Victoria beside a road near Byaduk in the southwest and near Mount Macedon summit.
