Shrub 1 - 2 m tall Leaves: opposite, dull grayish green, 2 - 5 cm long, egg-shaped to oval, sometimes lobed, usually hairless beneath. Flowers: in pairs or in small clusters. Corolla five-lobed, pinkish white, 5 - 8 mm long, bell-shaped, swollen on one side. Lobes half as long or equal to tube. Fruit: berry-like (drupe), in clusters, white, 1 - 1.5 cm long, waxy. There are two stones inside each drupe. Twigs: hollow, finely hairy or hairless when young.
Similar species: Symphoricarpos occidentalis is similar but has stalkless flowers with styles exserted from the corolla. Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is also similar but has smaller, greenish to purplish corollas (to 4 mm long) and drupes that are coral-pink to purple. The leaves of typical S. albus are hairy beneath.
Flowering: June to July
Habitat and ecology: Introduced from farther west. A rare escape from cultivation. Has been found in waste ground.
Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native
Etymology: Symphoricarpos comes from the Greek words symphoreo, meaning "born together," and karpos, meaning fruit (in reference to the clustered fruits). Albus means white. Laevigatus means smooth.