A small tree on rich bottomland soils of the central eastern states. Leaves are simple, deciduous, alternate, narrowly obovate, entire, and papery. They are 2-ranked and emit a strong tomato or green pepper smell when crushed. Twigs have naked, red-brown hairy buds. Fruit is a large (about 4"), irregularly cylinder-shaped, aromatic, green (becoming yellow and then black), somewhat banana-like edible berry that matures in late summer or early fall. Bark is thin, smooth, dark brown, and often with gray blotches and small wart-like projections on older trees.