[3] Jean-Baptiste Lamarck,[4] the naturalist who first formally described the species named it, using the synonym Cynanchum mauritianum, after the region of the Indian Ocean that includes the island of Mauritius, although the type specimen he examined did not list a specific location.

At the junction between the petioles and the stem are tufts of red hairs that remain after the leaves have fallen.

The 5 slightly firm petals form a bell-shaped structure with free lobes about halfway up their length that overlap from left to right.

Its corona has thread-like lobes that are bent backwards, and occur in pairs that alternate with the petals.

[10] It has been observed growing in dry to mildly humid habitats at elevations up to 1999 meters.