Shrub or small tree to about 9 m tall. Young shoots downy at first and often reddish. Leaves 4-9 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, mostly oblong, elliptic or ovate, sharply toothed, slightly downy hairy below. Flowers in clusters of 4-7 on stalks to 4 cm long and 3 cm wide, pink in bud but becoming white or pale pink; spring. Styles 4. Fruit 0.8-1.2 cm wide, red or yellow to yellowish brown, the calyx shed.

M. ×atrosanguinea (Spaeth) Schneid. is a garden hybrid, M. halliana _ M. sieboldii, which has an arching to pendulous habit and lobed leaves on strong shoots; the flowers are simple and the fruits red, or yellow and red, about 1 cm wide. Sometimes available as the cultivar, 'Gorgeous', a small tree with glossy red fruits about 2.5 cm wide that are sometimes used in cooking. Raised in New Zealand and listed in Duncan and Davies Nsy catalogue of 1966.

Japan.

VIC: Castlemaine (Bot. Gds).

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Rosaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.