Origin: Europe, western Siberia, Caucasus.
Botanical characteristics: It is a medium-sized deciduous shrub that is thick and bushy. It has opposing leaves from ovate to oval that are grey-green and velvety. The late-spring- and early-summer-blooming has cream-white flowers that are tubular with two liplike parts and arranged in pairs at the leaf’s axil along the branches. They are followed by showy red berries in pairs, joined at the bottom.
Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It is spontaneous in deciduous woodlands, hedges and bushes, up to an altitude of 1600 meters. It can adapt to any well-drained soil, but it prefers calcareous ones.
Use: It is used for borders, low hedges or as groundcover in damaged areas where naturalization is needed.
