Fool's huckleberry is an erect, rather straggly shrub growing to 3 m tall. The twigs are hairy and slightly sticky. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, and occur in clusters almost like false whorls along the stems. The blades are thin, oval, 3-5 cm, light green to bluish-green, and toothed. The 4-parted flowers are pinkish to yellowish-white, pendent bells borne in small clusters on the previous years' growth. The fruits are dry dehiscent capsules (hence the common name). Fool's huckleberry grows in shady to open coniferous forests with moist, acid soils and along streambanks from middle to subalpine elevations.