Leaves are borne in an alternate pattern. Leaves are lobed or toothed. Flowers are monoecious or dioecious and borne in catkins. Fruits are a single-seeded achene, aggregated into a fleshy fruit that resembles a blackberry. Leaf margins are toothed.
Terminal buds are absent.
May flowers are small and greenish in color. Fruits are white, pink, or violet and ripen in July or August. Leaves are usually undivided with coarsely toothed margins. Leaves are soft and hairy beneath. Terminal buds are absent.