A deciduous shrub or sub-shrub up to 3 or 4 ft, stems square, glabrous, slender, erect. Leaves oval-oblong, 1 to 21⁄4 in. long, 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 in. wide, apex rounded, base tapered, thin in texture, glabrous, scarcely stalked. Flowers bright yellow, 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. wide, borne dichotomously on terminal and axillary cymes 4 or 5 in. across; sepals 1⁄6 in. long, oval-oblong; fruits conical, 1⁄4 in. long, pointed. Blossoms in July and August.
Native of the S.E. United States from N. Carolina to Florida and quite hardy. The inflorescence usually stands out leafless and clearly above the foliage and is interesting for its successive branching into two below each flower. It has become rare in cultivation.