This plant species resembles fungi, rather than flowering plants. It is a reddish, fleshy parasite with tuberous roots. It is dioecious, i.e. male and female flowers are on separate plants. The male plant usually grows up to 300 mm high, whereas the female plant is shorter. The leaves are reduced to scales. The inflorescence is branched with the male inflorescence narrower and taller than the female, which is shorter, denser, rounder and fleshy.

The male flowers have white anthers that open by apical pores and release masses of smooth and oval-shaped pollen.

The female flowers consist of peltate, sessile stigmas just above the ovaries, that are embedded in a common, swollen receptacle. A single receptacle accommodates up to 200 individual florets. At least 250 of the receptacles make up an inflorescence. Thus, over 50 000 florets may be found in a single inflorescence. Female florets expose only flattened stigmas to receive pollen from pollinators. The stigmas are almost less than 1 mm in diameter. The fruit is a compound, syncarp, with each individual fruit a pseudo-berry. It can be found flowering almost throughout the year.