Shrubs, deciduous, to 6 m tall; trunk to 10 cm in diam. Winter buds ovoid, with several pairs of scales; outer scales triangular, sparsely puberulent; inner scales accrescent, lanceolate, outside pubescent. Branches with pith becoming brown and later hollow. Branches and petioles spreading pubescent with interspersed minute glands. Petiole 2-9 mm; leaf blade green or purplish when young, usually ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-8 × 1.5-4 cm, abaxially sparsely strigose, adaxially sparsely pubescent or subglabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin ciliate, apex acute to long acuminate. Inflorescence fragrant, axillary paired flowers; peduncle 1-3 mm, shorter than petioles; bracts linear, sometimes leaflike, 3-7 mm; bracteoles of each flower ± fused, green or purplish, ca. 1 mm, apex truncate and ciliate. Neighboring 2 ovaries free, glabrous or sparsely minutely glandular hairy. Calyx campanulate, 2-3 mm, scarious between lobes; lobes broadly triangular, unequal, apex acute. Corolla bilabiate, purplish, or white at first, later yellow, ca. 2 cm, outside shortly adpressed hairy or glabrous; tube 4-5 mm, shallowly gibbous toward base, inside puberulent or glabrous; upper lip 4-lobed; lower lip recurved. Stamens and style exserted from corolla tube; filaments and style with minute hairs below middle. Berries dark red, orbicular, 5-6 mm in diam.; seeds with minute shallow concave dots. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 18.
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Shrub to 5 m; lvs ovate to lance-ovate, 3.5–8.5 cm, acuminate, short-petioled, pubescent at least on the veins; fls paired on peduncles shorter than the petioles, the cor white, turning yellow, 15–20 mm, ± distinctly bilabiate, the tube short and not gibbous, usually glabrous outside; style hairy; fr dark red; 2n=18. Native of Asia, escaped and becoming established in our range, as in N.Y., Md., Ky., and O.
A shrub. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows 6 m tall. The trunk is 10 cm across. The branches are hollow and hairy. The leaves are 3-8 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The flowers are in pairs in the axils of leaves. They have a scent. They are purplish but become yellow.
Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.
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