Southern Maleberry is a fairly common medium-sized shrub of moist habitats in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Quite different from more northerly distributed var. ligustrina, which is also present in the Coastal Plain but more common in the Mountains, var. foliosiflora has leafy inflorescences.

Racemes of globose white flowers appear in spring, followed by pubescent globose capsules.

Robeson Co., NC 5/29/08.

This species is called Maleberry or He-Huckleberry because it is similar to blueberry and huckleberry, but produces dry capsules instead of fleshy edible fruit.

Robeson Co., NC 5/29/08.

The inflorescences are very leafy.

Robeson Co., NC 5/29/08.

Bark detail.

Robeson Co., NC 5/29/08.