[1] It has clusters of small, creamy white flowers with five petals and numerous red-tipped stamens, which appear in late spring and persist into midsummer.

The unique fruit is an inflated glossy red pod about 6 millimetres (1⁄4 in) long which turns dry and brown and then splits open to release seeds.

It is most common west of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, often abundant on the north slopes of coastal mountains.

[2] Although it has low palatability for browsing ungulates, Pacific ninebark provides good cover and nesting sites for birds and small mammals.

[1] It is used in ecological restoration due to its fibrous roots which are good for bank stabilization, and its ability to grow from cuttings.