A hardy, deciduous shrub or small tree which may reach a height of up to 10m in its natural habitat, less within UK gardens, with very large, bipinnate green foliage which turns to yellows, browns and purples in the autumn, and a sharply spiny single dark brown stem. Umbels of fragrant, purplish-white flowers appear from June to August, followed by clusters of small, dark purple to black berries from September to November