Devil's club is a thick-stemmed, deciduous shrub growing from 1-3 m (ca. 3-9 ft) tall. The stems are armed with numerous spines, which also occur on the lower surfaces of the large, maple-leaf shaped leaves. The small, whitish flowers produce clusters of bright red, slightly flattened berries. This species is found in moist woods, often in wet sites such as along streams, at low to middle elevations along the entire Pacific Northwest Coast.