The leathery leaves are widely lance-shaped to oblong and up to 9 centimetres long.

The upper surfaces are shiny and hairless and the undersides have silvery whitish or brownish hairs.

The inflorescence is a panicle of woolly flower heads containing disc florets.

[1] Volcanic debris on Mount Taranaki has been colonized by this species, which occurs in dense stands up to 100 years old.

It can also be found in the Marlborough Sounds, South Island, in open upland forest.