An erect shrub, up to 4 or 6 ft high, with glabrous, round stems sometimes downy when young. Leaves ovate or oblong with a wedge-shaped base, 1 to 2 in. long, 1⁄3 to 3⁄4 in. wide, the terminal part sharply toothed or with a few large teeth only near the apex, sometimes entire, upper surface glabrous, lower one more or less hairy or sometimes glabrous; stalk 1⁄6 in. or less long. Flowers white, 1⁄3 in. across, produced during late April and early May in long-stalked racemes 1 to 11⁄2 in. across each terminating a short leafy twig.
Native mainly of Russia, where it extends from the European parts almost to the Pacific, but occurring also in eastern Central Europe and the northern part of the Balkans; its western limit is in Austria (Steiermark) and the mountains north of Trieste. It is a pretty species, but liable to be injured by late spring frosts.
f. glabrescens (Simonkai) Zab. – Leaves quite glabrous or soon becoming so.
var. mollis (Koch & Bouché) Schneid. S. mollis Koch & Bouché – Leaves hairy on both sides, more densely so beneath. Possibly a natural hybrid between S. media and S. cana. S.E. Europe.
var. sericea (Turcz.) Maxim. S. sericea Turcz. – Leaves entire, or few-toothed at the apex, downy above at first, later glabrous, usually permanently silky-hairy beneath. Native of the Russian Far East, Sakhalin, N. China, Korea and Japan.
S. media bears some resemblance to S. chamaedryfolia, which has more toothed leaves, angled stems, and longer petals (about 3⁄16 to almost 1⁄4 in. long, against 1⁄8 in. long in S. media). Also the styles are terminal in S. chamaedryfolia while in S. media they are inserted on the outer side of the carpels, just below the apex.
