The drupe is about 1 centimetre (1⁄2 in) long, ovoid, light brown and pubescent with thin flesh.

According to Silas C. Mason[11] the genus has According to George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker[12] the name fasciculata means that the leaves are in fascicles, or little bundles: However, Asa Gray publishing in 1874 reclassified Empectocladus to Prunus resulting in the designation Prunus fasciculata (Torr.)

[3][16][17] Middens from rodent activities such as those of the pack rat are a rich source of plant macrofossils from late Pleistocene habitats.

[20][6][21][22][23] It prefers sandy or rocky soil on dry slopes and washes, usually below 7,000 feet (2,100 m) elevation.

Some Native Americans in its limited range learned traditional ways of using it: the Cahuilla prepared the drupe as a delicacy.

The Kawaiisu found the tough twigs useful as drills in starting fires and as the front portion of arrow shafts.