The Siberian dwarf pine is a coniferous evergreen shrub ranging from 1–3 metres (3–10 feet) in height, exceptionally up to 5 m (16 ft), but may have individual branches that extend further along the ground in length.

[3] Siberian dwarf pine can be found along mountain chains, above the tree line, where it forms dense, uninterrupted thickets; it also grows on the headlands above the Okhotsk and Bering Seas, Tatarsk and Pacific coast (the Kurils).

[6][full citation needed] In the colder conditions of Siberia, there are specimens which are 250 years old and older.

P. pumila has highly flammable needles, branches, and cones and readily carries crown fires, especially where it grows continuously across local landscapes.

The cultivar P. pumila 'Glauca' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.