Cyanea glabra, a member of the bellflower family, is a branched shrub. The leaves of juvenile plants are deeply pinnately lobed, while those of the adult plants are more or less entire and elliptical. Adult leaves are 23 to 36 cm (9 to 14 in.) long and 7 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in.) wide. The upper surfaces of the leaves are green and hairless, while the lower surfaces are pale green and hairless to sparsely hairy. The margins of the adult leaves are thickened and shallowly toothed to irregularly lobed. Six to eight flowers are borne in each inflorescence. The main inflorescence stalk is 20 to 55 mm (0.8 to 2.2 in.) long, while the individual flower stalk is 12 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1.0 in.) long. The hypanthium is widest at the top, 7 to 10 mm (0.3 to 0.4 in.) long, and about 5 mm (0.2 in.) wide. The corolla is white, often with a pale lilac tinge, 50 to 60 mm (2 to 2.4 in.) long, and about 8 mm (0.3 in.) wide. The tube of the corolla is curved. The lobes are spreading, 0.25 to 0.33 times as long as the tube, and are covered by small, sharp projections. The berries are yellowish orange, elliptical, and 10 to 15 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in.) long. The calyx (sepals collectively) persist on the berry.