Pavonia columella has a woody rootstock from which upright stems grow; new stems can be found growing from the base throughout the year. This evergreen subshrub grows between 0.2 and 2.5 m high. The plant is covered with both simple and star-shaped hairs, these can be curly or straight.

The oval to heart shaped leaves, which can have 0 to 5 upper lobes, have a zig-zag edge and are softly hairy on the underside. The leaves are dark on the upper surface and lighter underneath, they can vary in size, 15–105 × 6–145 mm.

The flowers can be single, or they can grow in clusters. The flowers can be found between the stem and leaf stalks. The flower stalk is usually divided into two parts by a joint, with the shorter part of the stalk being closest to the flower base. Pavonia columella flowers throughout the year. The flowers are pink to white, often with a yellow centre. The calyx bracts are oval-triangular and the epicalyx bracts are linear. Both the epicalyx and calyx bracts range from 4–8 mm in length and the petals are 17–20 mm long.

The fruit is a schizocarp which is made up of five mericarps. The mericarps, are small, 3 x 2 mm, rounded on top, with a net-like surface.

The fruit and epicalyx bracts can be used to distinguish Pavonia columella from P. senegalensis and P. burchellii respectively. Both these species have similar leaves to P. columella; however, the mericarps of P. senegalensis have a small tip on top and are much larger than those of P. columella while the epicalyx of P. burchellii is made up of broad to narrowly oval shaped bracts with tapering tips.