Size: tree or shrub, 20-35' average height and spread at maturity
Buds: two-ranked, flower buds slightly larger than vegetative buds, both inconspicuous
Leaves: deciduous, alternate, 3-5" long and wide, simple, heart-shaped, margins entire, acute tip, new growth red-purple, shiny dark green in summer, yellow-green or yellow in fall
Twigs: slender, red-brown to black, zigzagging
Flowers: monoecious, pink-purple in the species, .5" long, groups of 4-8, bloom March-April
Fruit: persistent legume
Bark: brownish or black, orange underbark
