Kadua cookiana, a member of the Rubiaceae (coffee) family, is a small shrub with many branches 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) long. The papery-textured leaves are long and narrow, 4 to 8 cm (1.5 to 3 in) long and about 0.5 to 1.2 cm (0.2 to 0.5 in) wide, and fused at the base to form a sheath around the stem. The bisexual or female flowers are arranged in clusters of threes on flower stalks about 8 to 15 mm (0.3 to 0.6 in) long, with the central flower on the longest stalk. Beneath the flower clusters are sharp-pointed bracts (modified leaves). The fleshy white corolla is trumpet-shaped and about 8 to 9 mm (0.3 to 0.4 in) long, with lobes about 2 mm (0.08 in) long. Fruits are top-shaped or spherical capsules about 3 to 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long and 3.5 to 4 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide that open at maturity to release wedge-shaped reddish brown seeds.