[2][3] The cultivar first bloomed at the suburban villa of George Folliott Harison, attorney, between 8th and 9th Avenues on 32nd Street, north of New York City.

'Harison's Yellow' is naturalized at abandoned house sites through the west and is found as a feral rose along the Oregon Trail.

The cultivar has semi-double, clear yellow flowers with an average diameter of 5 to 6 centimetres (2.0 to 2.4 in),[3][4] up to 25 petals,[1] a slightly cupped bloom form, and a fruity fragrance.

The young hips are first green, then red, and turn to black in the ripe fruits, that reach an average diameter of 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in).

The cultivar tolerates drought, shade and poorer soils, needs little care, and is very winter hardy – down to −35 °C (USDA zone 4).