Delissea subcordata (now referred to as D. waianaeensis), a member of the Campanulaceae (bellflower) family, is a branched or unbranched shrub 1 to 3 m (3.5 to 10 ft) tall. The leaves are egg-shaped or oval lance-shaped, with heart-shaped bases and blades 12 to 30 cm (4.7 to 12 in) long and 6 to 17 cm (2.4 to 6.7 in) wide. The leaf margins have shallow, rounded to sharply pointed teeth. Occasionally the leaf margin may be irregularly cut into narrow and unequal segments with one to six triangular lobes, 10 to 18 mm (0.4 to 0.7 in) long, toward the leaf base. Six to 18 white or greenish-white flowers are arranged on a flowering stalk 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 4 in) long. The calyx lobes are awl-shaped and 0.5 to 1 mm (0.02 to 0.04 in) long. The curved corolla is 45 to 60 mm (1.8 to 2.4 in) long and has a knob on the back side. The anthers are hairless. The fruit is an egg-shaped berry.