This is a small tree or a large shrub depending upon where the plant grows. Wafer-ash is found scattered over the state. The bark and leaves are bitter, strongly scented, and posses tonic qualities. Each leaflet is oval or pear-shaped with a pointed tip. The central leaflet is the largest.
Terminal buds are absent.
Buds are superposed, small, silvery, silky, and often hidden by the leaf base. Leaf scars are horseshoe-shaped. Branches are reddish-brown in the second year. Flowers are small with unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant. Flowers are greenish-white and unpleasantly scented.