It is a tree with paripinnate leaves with 8 to 20 narrowly oblong to lance-shaped leaflets, and separate, male and female flowers arranged in panicles, the fruit a more or less spherical red to brown capsule.

Cupaniopsis baileyana is small tree that typically grows to a height of up to 13 m (43 ft) and has a dense crown.

The trunk is mostly round, but with flanges on some specimens, and the bark is smooth, grey or brown.

The leaflets sometimes have toothed edges and the mid-vein and lateral veins are prominent on both surfaces.

[2][3][4] Cupaniopsis baileyana was first formally described in 1924 by Ludwig Radlkofer in Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis.