It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it is the only member of its genus growing wild.

This is a shrub or small tree reaching maximum heights of anywhere from two to six meters.

The thin, green, oval-shaped leaves are three to fourteen centimeters long and sometimes rolled under along the edges.

The inflorescence holds up to five small flowers at the end of a long peduncle.

Each flower has five rounded pink to brown and white mottled petals around a central nectar disc with 5 nubs.