Ribes cereum is a spreading or erect shrub growing between 20 centimetres (8 inches) and 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet) in height.

The gray-green leaves are 1.5–2.5 centimetres (1⁄2–1 in) long,[6] somewhat rounded and divided into 3–5 shallow lobes[4] which are toothed along the edges.

The small flower is tubular with the white to pink sepals curling open at the tips to form a corolla-like structure.

The fruit is a rather tasteless orange-red berry[4] up to 1 cm (3⁄8 in) wide, with a characteristically long, dried flower remnant at the end.

[7] It grows in several types of habitat, including mountain forests in alpine climates, sagebrush, and woodlands.