Ochna pretoriensis is a much-branched evergreen shrub up to ± 2 m high. Stems and branches have a rough brown bark, flaking in thin, small, longitudinal strips. The main stem is pale grey to white and covered in white lenticels; sometimes longitudinal flaking occurs in papery strips.

Leaves are dark green, shiny, tardily deciduous, obovate (broad and rounded at the base, becoming narrower at the tip) to narrowly obovate or oblong, ± 35 x 10-15 mm. The apex is acute to obtuse, the base is cuneate; the margin has small, shallow, (elongate teeth; the midrib is occasionally arched with the convex half of the lamina somewhat larger than the other side; the petiole is 1-2 mm; interpetiolar stipules are elongate-deltoid, fused at the base.

Flowers are solitary or arranged sometimes in pairs on the tips of short branchlets, appearing before the leaves, yellowish, buttercup-like, releasing a strong fragrance, and appear from Sept. -Nov. The enlarged, persistent sepals are elliptic, ± 5 mm long, becoming wine-red on stalks up to 14 mm long, loosely enveloping the drupelets;. Pedicels are ± 8 mm at anthesis, up to 15 mm and erect or spreading in fruit. The pedicel is articulated at or near the base. Petals are broadly obovate, clawed, ± 14 mm long, rounded at the apex, yellow. Stamens have filaments 3 mm long. There are 5 carpels attached basally to the torus (receptacle). Styles are fused with free apical, recurved tips. The fruits are elliptic-globose, fleshy, green, becoming black and shiny when matured.

Ochna pretoriensis is closely related to O. inermis but can be distinguished by the shorter, usually erect pedicels articulated just above the base and somewhat smaller leaves.