Melicope ovalis is a tree in the Rutaceae (rue) family up to 5 m (16 ft) tall. New growth is somewhat hairy, the brownish pubescence becoming sparser with age. The hairless, oval-elliptic leaves (8 to 16 x 4 to 10 cm [3.2 to 6.3 x 1.6 to 3.9 in]) occur in pairs on stout 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) leafstalks (petioles) opposite each other on the stems; the leaves become brittle when dry. The leaves have about 10 to 12 pairs of primary veins branching from the main vein, connected by an arched vein 7 to 12 mm (0.3 to 0.5 in) from the periphery of the leaf. Flowers occur on 3 to 12 mm (0.1 to 0.5 inch) stalks (peduncles) from the point of leaf attachment to the stem in groups of 3 to 7 flowers, each on an individual 10 to 13 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) stalk (pedicel). Floral details are undescribed. Fruits are roughly cube-shaped and about 10 mm (0.4 in) long; each section of the fruit contains one or two 5 mm (0.2 in) seeds.