Shrub, occasionally a small tree, to 5 m tall, deciduous, or partly so in warmer areas. Shoots puberulent. Petioles to 5 mm long, glabrous. Lamina 2-6 × 0.75-2.5 cm, lanceolate, elliptic, sometimes obovate (lvs of vegetative shoots often narrower), glabrous, dark shining green above; base cuneate; apex obtuse to acute. Panicles dense, pyramidal, to c. 8 cm long; branches densely puberulent, often angular; pedicels very short. Bracts and bracteoles linear-subulate to lanceolate or ovate, persisting after flowering, the lowest to 1.2 cm long. Fls fragrant. Calyx c. 1 mm long, glabrous; teeth very small. Corolla white; tube c. 2 mm long; lobes c. 3 mm long, ovate, spreading, somewhat involute at margin, obtuse. Stamens exserted, slightly < length of corolla lobes; anthers yellow. Style sightly exserted. Fr. (3)-5-10 mm diam., globose or subglobose, glossy black. Seed 4-5 mm long, obovoid to ellipsoid, flattened, shallowly ribbed.
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Much branched shrub to 5 m, with dark green, elliptic to ovate, long-persistent but eventually deciduous lvs commonly 2–4 cm; cor-tube wide, almost campanulate,2.5–3 mm, about as long as the lobes; filaments mostly included or barely exsert; twigs minutely puberulent; 2n=46. Native of Europe; our most commonly cult. and escaped sp. June.
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