These plants known commonly as lesser roundweed, nanto-iganigakusa (Taiwan), genggeyan and kaneja (Indonesia), sawi hutan (Malaysia), ortela-brava and fazendeiro (Brazil).

Hyptis brevipes is an erect annual plant up to 1 m high with the typical square stem of a labiate, often densely hairy but sometimes less so.

The inflorescence is a dense raceme, almost globose, up to 14 mm diameter, on a peduncle about 1 cm long in the axils of most upper leaves.

The calyx, 4 mm long, also has five narrow, finely barbed lobes.

Seeds are ovoid, up to 1 mm long, dark brown to black, obscurely striate, with a conspicuous scar.