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A dwarf evergreen shrub with slender, zigzagged, erect or semi-procumbent stems; young shoots glabrous, red. Leaves leathery, ovate-lanceolate, round at the base, drawn out into a long slender apex, inconspicuously toothed, 11⁄2 to 31⁄2in. long, 1⁄2 to 11⁄2in. wide, glabrous except for a few appressed bristles beneath; stalk 1⁄6 to 1⁄4 in. long. Flowers few, borne during July in short racemes at or near the end of the young shoots. Corolla nodding, pure white, cylindrical, 1⁄2 to 5⁄8 in. long, 1⁄4 in. wide, with five small, erect, triangular teeth. Calyx-lobes broadly ovate, minutely ciliate. Stamens hairy. Fruits flattened-globose, 1⁄4 in. wide.
Native of Japan; introduced in 1915 by Wilson. It is hardy, and is rather distinct on account of the size of its flowers, which are the largest in the cultivated species, its shining red young shoots, and leaves which are red when young, deep red in autumn. An attractive shrub.