[10][11] The three accepted varieties have various common names which include the word "gooseberry".

[13] Ribes divaricatum is a shrub sometimes reaching 3 metres (10 feet) in height with woody branches with one to three thick brown spines at leaf nodes.

The leaves are borne on petioles, up to 6 centimetres (2+1⁄4 inches) long[citation needed] and 2.5–6.5 cm (1–2+1⁄2 in) wide.

[14] The inflorescence is a small cluster of hanging flowers, each with reflexed purple-tinted green sepals and smaller, white[14] to red petals encircling long, protruding stamens.

[22] The fruit was food for a number of Native American groups of the Pacific Northwest, and other parts of the plant, especially the bark, was used for medicinal purposes.