Shrubs ca. 3 m tall. Young branchlets black after drying, glabrous; old branchlets gray-brown, sparsely lenticellate. Leaves usually ca. 20, clustered at branchlet apex, biennial; petiole 5–8 mm; leaf blade pale green abaxially, green and shiny adaxially, yellow-green after drying, obovate or oblanceolate, 3–6 × 1.2–2 cm, thickly leathery, glabrous abaxially, lateral veins 6–8-paired, slightly convex abaxially, concave adaxially after drying, reticulate veins indistinct abaxially, slightly concave adaxially, base cuneate, decurrent, margin reflexed, apex rounded, sometimes emarginate. Inflorescences terminal, umbellate, 3–5 cm, pubescent; bracts 2–5 mm; pedicels ca. 1.5 cm. Sepals ovate, pubescent. Petals white, narrowly oblong. Stamens shorter than petals. Ovary pubescent; placentas 2, parietal; ovules 14–16. Style 2-lobed, ca. 1.5 mm. Capsule globose, 7–8 mm, dehiscing by 2 valves; pericarp thinly woody, ca. 0.8 mm thick, pubescent abaxially, horizontally striate adaxially; placentas at base to middle part of valves; persistent style ca. 2 mm; stigmas enlarged. Seeds ca. 15, irregularly angular, 2–2.5 mm; funicle very short. Fl. Jan–Apr, fr. Mar–Oct.

Pittosporum pulchrum var. foliosum Gagnepain (loc. cit.: 547) was also described from Vietnam together with the species; it was said to differ in having a shorter inflorescence.

Slopes in forests; 400--500 m. W Guangxi (Daxin Xian, Longzhou Xian, Tianyang Xian) [N Vietnam].