Labordia tinifolia var. wahiawaensis, a member of the Loganiaceae (logan) family, is a shrub or small tree, 2 to 8 m (6.6 to 26 ft) tall. The young branches are cylindrical or nearly so and hairless. The elliptic to lance-shaped leaves are usually 4.5 to 21 cm (1.8 to 8.3 in) long and 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2 in) wide. The membranous leaves are medium green and hairless, and the veins are not impressed on the upper leaf surface. Normally, 9 to 12 hairless flowers are clustered on a downward curving inflorescence stalk 9 to 22 mm (0.4 to 0.9 in) long, each having an individual stalk 8 to 11 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) in length. The pale yellowish green flower is narrowly urn-shaped, 17 to 19 mm (0.7 to 0.75 in) long. The tubular portion of the flower is 5.5 to 7.8 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in) long with long, white hairs inside, while the egg-shaped lobes are 1.7 to 2.3 mm (0.07 to 0.09 in) long. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule, 8 to 1.7 mm (0.2 to 0.7 in) long, usually with two valves and an apex with a beak 0.5 to 1.5 mm (0.02 to 0.1 in) long.