Toyon typically grows from 2–5 metres (6+1⁄2–16+1⁄2 ft), rarely up to 10 m in shaded conditions, and has a rounded to irregular top.

Its leaves are evergreen, alternate, sharply toothed, have short petioles, and are 5–10 centimetres (2–3+7⁄8 in) in length and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) wide.

In the early summer it produces small white flowers 6–10 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) diameter in dense terminal corymbs.

The fruit is a small pome,[7] 5–10 mm across, bright red and berry-like, produced in large quantities, maturing in the fall and persisting well into the winter.

[8] The genus Heteromeles as originally published by Max Joseph Roemer was monospecific, including Photinia arbutifolia Lindl.

[4] Toyon is a prominent component of the coastal sage scrub plant community, and is a part of drought-adapted chaparral and mixed oak woodland habitats.

[18] Most fruits from plants in the family Rosaceae, including apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, and plums, contain cyanide.

[21] The Tongva (who called the plant ashuwet) ate the berries fresh, boiled and left them in an earthen oven for 2 to 3 days, roasted them, or made them into a cider.

[19] Toyon can be grown in domestic gardens in well-drained soil, and is cultivated as an ornamental plant as far north as Southern England.

[citation needed] Like many other genera in the Rosaceae tribe Maleae, toyon includes some cultivars that are susceptible to fireblight.