Myrcianthes coquimbensis is a small rounded, aromatic, dense shrub growing to a height of about 1.5 metres (5 feet).

The small flowers either grow singly or in groups of three, the central one being sessile and the side ones having short stalks.

The fruit is a edible fleshy berry containing one or two seeds and is topped by the remains of the five persistent sepals.

Its range extends for about 83 kilometres (52 mi) along the coast of the Elqui Province in the Chilean region of Coquimbo.

This species is often associated with a community of other plants and shrubs including Bridgesia incisifolia, Oxalis gigantea, Heliotropium stenophyllum, Bahia ambrosioides and Polyachyrus poeppigii.