Gouania vitifolia, a member of the Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) family, is a climbing shrub or woody vine with tendrils. Leaves are papery in texture with a moderate to dense covering of short, soft hairs on both surfaces. The leaves are elliptic to broadly oval in outline with toothed or lobed margins and 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.2 in) long by 2 to 4.8 cm (0.3 to 1.9 in) wide. Flowers are arranged in axillary spikes 0.8 to 7 cm (0.3 to 2.8 in) long. The flowers are small with sepals and petals ranging from 0.7 to 1.1 mm (0.03 to 0.04 in) in length. Both the sepals and petals are white. The 2- or 3-winged fruit are about 9 to 10 mm (0 4 in) long. Seeds are oval, glossy, dark brown, and about 3.4 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) long.