Schiedea lychnoides, a member of the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), is a weakly climbing or sprawling subshrub. The main stems are 0.4 to 3 m (1.3 to 9.8 ft) long with short side branches. The plant is woody, at least at the base, and densely covered with fine glandular hairs throughout. The thin leaves are egg-shaped to elliptic and are 3.5 to 6.5 cm (1.4 to 2.6 in) long and 1.5 to 3.8 cm (0.6 to 1.5 in) wide. Eighteen to 21 flowers are arranged in clusters with stalks ranging from 2.0 to 2.4 cm (0.8 to 0.9 in) long. The four sepals are white and thin, and remain so at maturity. The outer two sepals greatly overlap the inner ones. The sepals are oblong-ovate, 10 to 12 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) long, but enlarge to 12 to 16 mm (0.5 to 0.6 in) long in fruit, completely enclosing the fruit at maturity. The stamens are scarcely fused at the base with basal outgrowths 2.5 to 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long, nearly as wide, and two- to three-toothed. The fruit are egg-shaped capsules, 9 to 12 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) long, with 8 to 11 valves. The black seeds are approximately 1 mm (0.04 in) long with low transverse ridges on the surface.