Cyrtandra dentata, a member of the Gesneriaceae (African violet) family, is a sparingly branched shrub ranging from 1.5 to 5 m (5 to 16 ft) tall. Papery in texture, the leaves are broadly elliptic to almost circular or broadly egg-shaped to egg-shaped, 9 to 33 cm (3.5 to 13 in) long, and 3 to 17 cm (1.2 to 6.7 in) wide. Three to nine white flowers are arranged on an inverse umbrella-shaped flower cluster which arises from the leaf axil. The main flower stalk is 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 in) long and the individual flower stalks are 15 to 33 mm (0.6 to 1.3 in) long. The leaf-like bracts are 12 to 30 mm (0.5 to 1.2 in) long. The tubular portion of the flower is 12 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 in) long and 4 to 9 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) in diameter. The upper flower lobes are 2 to 6 mm (0.08 to 0.2 in) long and 3 to 7 mm (0.1 to 0.3 in) wide, while the lower lobes are 3 to 17 mm (0.1 to 0.7 in) long and 4 to 9 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) wide. The round white berries are 1 to 2.6 cm (0.4 to 1 in) long.