Older bark breaks into shallow fissures on the short trunk. The leaves are alternate, slender-stalked, and have finely toothed leaf margins. Foliage color is a light green. Leaves have nearly straight veins. Early in the season the foliage is covered with scattered, silky hairs.
Hairs are more common beneath the leaves.
The white flowers appear in erect or drooping racemes in April or May, either before or with the leaves. The flowers make the tree quite conspicuous in the leafless or budding forest. The fruit is sweet and edible, and it can be a substitute for blueberries in most recipes. Birds and other denizens of the forest, including man, are very fond of the fruit and have been known to destroy the trees to gather one good crop of fruit. Today it is rare to find a tree full of fruit.