Growing to 10–20 cm in height, it is a strongly branched dwarf shrub.

The flower stalks and sepals are red, but the petals may also be yellowish-white.

It grows on ridges and heaths, often in abundance and forming a distinctive and attractive plant community.

In Greenland, indigenous peoples use the plant as important source of fuel.

Canadian chef Louis Charest used arctic heather as a smoked herb for the 2016 Three Amigos Summit state dinner.