The obovate to obovate-elliptic leaf blades are 12–16 by 4–9 cm in size, they are chartaceous, glaucous/hairy and are inconspicuously papillate on lower surface; broadly cuneate leaf base, slightly reflexed margins and obtuse to rounded apex, mucronate; 8-11 pairs of later veins are visible on upper surface, prominent on lower.

Male flowers have an 8–10 cm pedicel and a discoid calyx with 3 or 4 broadly triangular lobes, 9 or 10 stamens some 3 mm long with very short filaments, oblong laterally-compressed anthers, connective exserted.

[6] Daphniphyllum calycinum is present on the degraded hillside shrublands of Hong Kong, it is common there in scrubland and forest edges.

The follicular micromycete, or sac-fungi, Mycosphaerella fasciculata, in the Mycosphaerellaceae family, uses this species as a host.

[1] The seeds provide abundant oil that was used in lubrication and to make refined soap, however recently because of its toxicity it is only used in biodiesel.