Piper mestonii is a root climber with a stem diameter of up to 4 cm (1.6 in), appearing glabrous but with minute hairs on most surfaces.

[4][6] In 1889 the Queensland Government sponsored an expedition to the Bellenden Ker Range with the aim of documenting as much of the natural flora and fauna as possible.

It was led by the explorer and journalist Archibald Meston and he was accompanied by, among others, the Queensland colonial botanist Frederick Manson Bailey.

[9] It grows in well developed rainforest, often near creeks and rivers, at altitudes from near sea level to 350 m (1,150 ft).

[4][5][6] This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as near threatened but no justification for the assessment is published.