It has messy fruit with prickly spines. It should be grown in the eastern half of the state and prefers moist soils. It prefers moist soils and grows pyramidal to rounded in habit. It has a medium to fast growth rate. It can be grown as a shrub or small tree, and there are many improved varieties available.
Some varieties have attractive red fruit.
Ask for varieties with red fall color. It is quite adaptable and pest free and becomes rounded in habit at maturity. It is the state tree of Oklahoma and has durable green foliage and bright pinkish-purple flowers in spring. It has occasional yellow fall color. It has cinnamon-orange bark at maturity.