Dubautia kalalauensis, a member of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family, is a shrub or tree 1.8 to 3.5 m (6 to 11.4 ft) tall, with opposite leaves 8 to 14 by 1.6 to 3.2 cm (3.1 to 5.5 by 0.6 to 1.3 in) and leaves of immature individuals up to 20 by 5.6 cm (7.9 by 2.2 in) long. Inflorescences contain 6 to 55 heads in dense flat-topped or rounded arrays, 4 to10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) long and wide. Corollas are greenish-cream, aging pinkish to reddish brown (often drying dark purple), 3 to 5.5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) long. Lobes narrowly triangular and reflexed. Flower tubes glabrous or sparsely glandular.