It bears plentiful, fragrant, white flowers and edible red to yellow fruit of about 1 cm (3⁄8 in) diameter.

Fruits are red to yellow and spherical, only about 1 cm (3⁄8 in) in diameter; they form dense clusters and resemble cherries from a distance.

[7][5][6] The subordinate taxa include these varieties:[4][7][6] The species is native to Russia, Mongolia, China, Korea, Bhutan, India, and Nepal,[4] where it is common to mixed forests on hilly slopes at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

It is one of the tallest and most resistant to cold and pest[10] species of its genus, thus is used for experimental breeding and grafting of other crab and domesticated apples.

[11][12] In particular, it is a common genetic source for M. pumila and M. asiatica in northern and northeastern China.