Alternate-leaved dogwood

This small tree may grow up to 10 m tall. Its thin, reddish-brown bark is smooth when young and separates into shallow ridges with age. The branches are shiny and almost horizontal. They range in colour from greenish-red to dark reddish-brown or dark purplish-red. The alternate leaves have slightly wavy margins. They are oval, acuminate and 4 to 13 cm long. They are often clustered at the ends of branches. Their veins curve and run along the edges. The leaves are dark green above and whitish beneath. The small flowers are white or cream-coloured, arranged in many flat-topped clusters. The fruit is a dark blue or bluish-black drupe, borne on a short red stalk.