It is a choice wild edible and its few pests and salt tolerance make it a resilient fruit crop for degraded lands and urban soils.

The leaves are alternate, elliptical, 3–7 centimeters (1+1⁄4–2+3⁄4 inches) long and 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) broad, with a sharply toothed margin.

[10][11] Although sometimes listed as extending north to Canada's New Brunswick, the species is not known from collections there and does not appear in the most authoritative works on the flora of that province.

[13] Taste of ripe fruit is prevailingly sweet, though individual bushes range in flavor and some are sour or slightly bitter.

A number of cultivars have been selected for larger and better-flavored fruit, including Resigno, Jersey Gem (Rutgers),[14] ECOS, Eastham, Hancock and Squibnocket.

It is experiencing a revival in popularity with the resurgence of foraging, the local food movement, and the prominence of native species selection in permaculture design.