It generally grows 23 to 51 centimeters (9 to 20 in) tall, but depending on environmental conditions it ranges from 8 cm (3+1⁄4 in) to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in height.

The shrub has greenish brown to red bark on its stems, and the smaller twigs may be green, reddish, yellowish, or gray.

[4][5] Vaccinium pallidum is native to central Canada (Ontario) and the central and eastern United States (from Maine west to Wisconsin and south as far as Georgia and Louisiana) plus the Ozarks of Missouri, Arkansas, southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma.

[2] Vaccinium pallidum is common on disturbed sites such as roadsides and abandoned fields.

For humans the taste is "sweet to bland" and the fruit can be eaten fresh, in pies, or as jelly.

The fruit is harvested and sold commercially in some areas, such as northeastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia.