The flowers, borne on small catkins ("short shoots"), are yellowish-green[3] and pollinated by animals.

The plant yields hairy and slightly sticky reddish-orange berries which have an aroma similar to limes and a very sour taste.

These include Rhus aromatica, native to eastern North America, and western poison-oak.

The shape of the leaflets and the habit of the shrub make this species, like some other Rhus, resemble small-leafed oaks (Quercus).

The plant is destroyed above ground but rarely killed by wildfire, and will readily sprout back up in burned areas.

According to Marvin Johnson Jr, a Mono native from Cold Springs Rancheria (a federally recognized tribe from Tollhouse, California), the fruit will last all year long if you have flats full and dry them out.

[5] The Uncompahgre Ute name for the berries is mah wup, and the bush is called ece.