A moderately branched shrub or small tree, 1–3 m tall, but can grow up to 13 m high. The young branches are covered in fine hairs but become smooth over time. The leaves are ovate-elliptic, with petioles 1.5–2.0 mm long. The upper side of the leaves have sparse fine hairs, while the underside is densely covered in them. The flowers grow in clusters at the ends of branchlets when young, but fall off quickly, leaving prominent scars on the growing rachis. The flowers are greenish-yellow and unscented. The hypanthium (floral cup) is densely covered with fine hairs on the outside and has a persistent basal portion about 2.5–3.5 mm long. The flower lobes are ovate-oblong, glabrous on the top and covered in dense hairs on the bottom. The 4 petal-like scales split almost to the base, the segments are oblong, white with a smooth tip. Plants flower in summer, autumn and early winter, from November to July.

This species can be confused with Englerodaphne pilosa, a lowland species with similar leaves and yellowish green flowers arranged in umbellate inflorescences instead of spikes, that elongate after flowering, and have yellow scale segments with curled margins, making them look like anthers.