In general, this plant is a shrub growing 0.5 to 2 metres (1+1⁄2 to 6+1⁄2 ft) in height.

The branches are covered in prickles and there are spines up to 1.3 centimetres (1⁄2 in) long at stem nodes.

The fruit is a palatable berry up to 1.6 cm (5⁄8 in) wide;[3][4] it is reddish, greenish, purple, or black in color.

[5] The shrub is native to North America, where it occurs in Alaska through much of Canada and the western and north-central United States.

[4] Small amounts of this shrub and its fruit are present in the diets of wildlife species such as grizzly bear and mule deer.