**Description:** A small understory shrub with leaves resembling maple leaves; produces clusters of dark blue-black berries.
**Size:** Grows 3 to 6 feet tall.
**Wildlife Value:** Highly shade-tolerant. Berries are a critical food source for Ruffed Grouse and songbirds.
**Identification:** Distinguished from true maple seedlings by its shrubby habit and opposite leaf arrangement.
**Habitat:** Beneath a canopy of Oak, Beech, and Sugar Maple.