Osoberry

Osoberry is one of the earliest plant to bloom, leaf out, produce fruits, color for autumn, and lose its leaves each year, often flowering as early as February, before the leaves have formed. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows 6–20 feet tall, with lance-shaped leaves that emit a ucumber-like scent when crushed. In late winter to early spring it produces drooping clusters of small white to pale green flowers, which provide an important early nectar source for pollinators. These are followed by small plum-like fruits that ripen to blue-black, eaten by birds and mammals. Ecologically, osoberry is a valuable early-season food source and a key component of riparian and woodland understories.