Size: tree, 30-40' average height
Buds: densely pubescent, flower buds .5" long, vegetative buds smaller
Leaves: deciduous, alternate, 2-4" long, 1-2" wide, simple, narrow elliptic to obovate, tips obtuse, margins entire, dark green in summer, yellow or bronze in fall
Twigs: slender, brown, glabrous, stipular line completely encircles twig at each leaf scar
Flowers: monoecious, white, many cultivars of other colors, fragrant, 12-18 petals, each narrow or strap-shaped, up to 2", bloom in April
Fruit: 2", twisted cluster of follicles
Bark: smooth, gray
