Cyrtandra waiolani, a member of the Gesneriaceae (African violet) family, is a small shrub with few-branched stems, from 1 to 2 m (3 to 6.5 ft) tall. The opposite leaves are chartaceous (papery), 5 to 16 cm (2 to 6 in) long and 1.5 to 5.5 cm (0.6 to 2 in) wide and moderately hairy. There are 1 to 2 brownish villous flowers per cyme. Calyces (flower sepals) are greenish-white with brownish hairs, 11 to 15 mm (4 to 6 in) long, with a white corolla and cylindrical tube 14 to 18 mm (5.5 to 7 in) long. Berries are white, ellipsoid, and 1.2 to 1.8 cm (0.5 to 0.7 in) long.