These are some of the larger daphnes, making shrubs that may be a metre or more high. They have finely scented flowers, mostly white to pink, but there are also yellow-flowered species. Most are evergreen, but there are also deciduous ones, and most have showy red or orange fruit, so are beautiful garden plants twice in the year.

Daphne mezereum is a small shrub, with generally upright stems, almost covered with scented, rich pink flowers early in the year, shortly before the fresh green leaves open. In a good year there will also be lots of red fruit, clustered along the stems, in August.