Searsia natalensis is a scrambling, evergreen shrub or a small tree, up to 5 m tall. Its stem is rough, grey-brown, with resin dots (granular). The branchlets are smooth. The leaves are tri-foliate, with terminal leaflet, 20–80 × 10–30 mm, side leaflets slightly smaller, dark olive-green above, rather, light green below; midrib prominent above and below; margin slightly wavy, entire or faintly toothed in upper two thirds, broadly tapering to round tip; the stalk up to 30 mm long. The young leaves are shiny red. The leaves smell of apples when crushed.

The flowers in loosely and sparsely branched sprays, up to 70 mm long, small and greenish yellow. Searsia natalensis flowers in in spring and summer from August to March. The fruit is flattened, round in outline, up to 7 mm in diameter, smooth, shiny and reddish brown when ripe. The fruits appear in late summer to winter, from February to July.