Shrub or small tree to 10m. Smooth dark grey bark. Bushy and many stemmed. Coppery-pink leaves unfold in mid-April below spectacular but short-lived five-petalled white flowers. Oblong to ovate leaves 5cm long with sharp but shallow serrated edge, dark yellowish-green, becoming scarlet then deep red in autumn. Fruit globose, 6mm, green turning to red in July the blackish-purple. Quickly eaten by birds.

Mostly on sandy soils in woodland or scrub.

The spectacular flowers make it easiest to spot in April.

Fairly widespread as a casual in many parts of England and Wales, very sparsely scattered elsewhere.

Rare in VC55. First recorded in 1996.