Leaves alternate, clustered towards the apices of the branches, oblanceolate, rarely lanceolate, strongly attenuate towards base, up to 12 cm long and 3 cm wide, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous, apex acute, margin entire.

Inflorescence adense, globular capitule up to 2.5 cm in diameter, situated axillary on peduncles 3 to 4 cm long; groups of 5 to 10 capitules clustered towards apices of branches; peduncles, involucre, calyx and the subfusiform receptacle pubescent.

G. amygdalifolia is placed together with G. salicina in the subgenus Jasionopsis Schwarz section Lytanthus (Wettst.)

Large plants up to 2 m are only known from outer escarpments of the central caldeira on Fogo as scattered relicts of a scrub vegetation type with old individuals of Artemisia gorgonum and Echium vulcanorum.

The plants grow on mountain slopes and less frequently in steep cliffs and they form a characteristic, but not dominating element of the indigenous montane scrub vegetation in the Cape Verde Islands.