In the family Calceolariaceae, it has white, bell shaped flowers with spots of purple on the inside.

The plant's stems can be up to 80 cm long and are green or red, the bases of which becoming woody with age.

The seeds are 0.35 - 0.6 mm long and are dark red - brown concealed within an egg shaped 3.8.

It also grows into a mat as opposed to the small shrubs Jovellana sinclairii forms.

[4]Jovellana honours the 18th century patron of Botany Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos and sinclairii is after Andrew Sinclair, a Colonial Secretary of New Zealand and naturalist (c.1796 - 1861).