Phyllostegia stachyoides, a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family, is a weakly upright climbing herb or subshrub with antrorsely (bent forward) strigose (with occasional spreading hairs) stems. The leaves are somewhat rugose (wrinkled), and lanceolate to ovate or sometimes broadly ovate, up to 20 cm (8 in) long and 8 cm (3 in) wide, with both surfaces moderately to sparsely strigose (hairs spreading), more densely along veins, with occasional spreading; rarely glabrate (without hairs or glands). The lower leaf surface is usually moderately glandular-dotted, with shallow rounded toothed margins, acute apex and narrow base. The petioles are 2.5 to 7 cm (1 to 2.8 in) long and moderately to densely antrorsely strigose. Flowers are 8 to 14 in a false whorl, usually in compound racemose inflorescence consisting of a principle stem and two lateral branches immediately below on pedicles 2 to 7 mm (0.1 to 0.3 in) long; antrorsely strigose with spreading coarse or firm, sharped tipped hairs.