This is a small, twisting manzanita with blood red to gray bark and glandular bristles on its branches. The leaves are light, dull green, and hairy or bristly. The small flowers are rounded and milky white, less often pale pink, and bunched densely in inflorescences. The fruits are fuzzy drupes around 1 centimeter (0.4 in.) in diameter. The plant can grow to about 1.8 meters (6 ft.).
