The species is a small shrub, epiphytic, with many hanging, creeping or erect branches and adventitious roots that have irregular, globose swellings up to 2 cm in diameter.

The round branchlets have minute scales, with the older branches are stunted and have thickened node, the globose swellings.

Anthers are slender and have a long thin, curved upward tip, the style points downward.

The young berries are urceolate (urn/pitcher-shaped), but become globose, about 5mm in diameter, when immature they are green with a reddish rim, and become red on ripening.

The species is distinguished by the following characteristics: the terminal or axillary inflorescences with 1 or 2 flowers; the 5-10 cylindrical seeds about 2-2.5mm long; an anther appendage of a thick, dorsal, smooth margin spur; the size of the leaves (1.5-4 x 0.5-2 cm); adventitious roots which often have globose swellings; the flowers are mostly axillary, paired or solitary in simple cymes; the species often grows on ant plants.

[5] The maingayi subspecies was named in 2000 by the botanist Gudrun Clausing (born 1969) who was working at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.

The subspecies was based on the previous taxa Medinilla maingayi, described by the English botanist Charles Baron Clarke (1832-1906) in 1879, in the publication The Flora of British India overseen by Joseph Dalton Hooker.

[2] The ants (Philidris and Crematogaster species and Camponotus (Myrmotarsus) irritabilis)[9][10] take seeds from bird poo or from the ripe fruit.

[11] Subspecies glauca is found in kerangas, dry hill and old secondary forest from sea level to 1100m elevation.

The Thai specimens identified were found growing on tree trunks and branches but also on rocks in partial shade on the quartzitic phyllite ridge, and in lowland evergreen forest, at elevations of 500-900m.