It is a deciduous tree or shrub growing to 10–17 metres (33–56 ft), with smooth, matt, alternate leaves 6–12 cm long and 4–5 cm broad.

[3] The creamy-white flowers are followed by masses of small, globose, red fruit (pomes) 5 mm diameter in autumn, persisting into winter or later if not eaten by birds.

[4][5] It is widely grown in parks and gardens in temperate regions, and is commonly naturalised as a result of bird-disperded seed in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in Ireland.

[2] It is one of the parents of the very popular garden shrub Cotoneaster × watereri;[2] this can be distinguished by its narrower, more lanceolate, slightly more glossy leaves with slightly grooved leaf veins, characters inherited from its other parent Cotoneaster salicifolius.

C. × watereri 'Cornubia') has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.