The undersurfaces are paler than the shiny upper surfaces. Common in wet areas on all trails Leatherleaf is usually considered a bog plant, but at Birch Brook it grows in a variety of habitats. Its flowers are among the earliest to bloom each spring. The shrub has tough dark green leathery ovate leaves and grows up to 1 m. White urn- shaped flowers growing from leaf axils droop from one side of a long cluster at the end of branches. Shady areas with good soil in sites on all trails Corn Lily is one of the showiest plants of the forest floor.
Berries are inedible but the young leaves are apparently good in salads or boiled.
Later, dark blue decorative bead-like berries form. The plant may reach 40 cm. Alternate, oval, thin, rounded-tip leaves grow from a slender stem that may grow to 15cm. The dark green shiny evergreen leaves are three-parted and grow in a basal pattern. In mid June a single white -'petalled' flower arises from the basal leaves.