Trees 5–15 m tall. Bark dark gray, deeply splitting. Branchlets reddish brown to greenish, glabrous. Winter buds purplish brown, ovoid, 2–4 mm, apex obtuse; scale margins glabrous or puberulous. Petiole 1.5–3 cm, puberulous, often with 2 nectaries; leaf blade broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, 5–12(–15) × 3–6(–8) cm, both surfaces glabrous or pubescent but gradually glabrescent and only abaxially pubescent in vein axils with age, base broadly cuneate, rounded, or sometimes cordate, margin irregularly acutely elongately biserrate, apex acuminate to caudate. Flowers solitary, opening before leaves, 2–3 cm in diam. Pedicel 7–10 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent when young. Hypanthium reddish brown, campanulate, outside usually glabrous. Sepals reddish brown, oblong to elliptic-oblong, outside usually glabrous, margin inconspicuously minutely serrate, apex obtuse to acute. Petals pink or white, broadly obovate to suborbicular. Stamens many, nearly as long to slightly longer than petals. Ovary densely pubescent. Drupe yellow, sometimes white tinged red or with reddish spots on exposed side, subglobose, 1.5–2.6 cm in diam., pubescent; mesocarp slightly fleshy to dry, sour or somewhat bitter, edible in large-fruited forms, fragrant; endocarp subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, compressed laterally, 1.3–1.8 × 1.1–1.8 cm, ventral suture smooth, with obtuse median rib, lateral ribs not developed, dorsal rib suborbicular, surface slightly rugose, base subsymmetric, apex obtuse to mucronate. Seed bitter, rarely sweet. Fl. Apr–May, fr. May–Jul.

The wood is very hard.

Mixed forests, thickets, mountain regions, open sunny slopes; 200--1000 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning [Korea, E Russia].