It is a small perennial herb or subshrub with dark gray-green oval-shaped leaves on hairy green stems that grow to a maximum height of one meter.

It has bright purple or blue frilly flowers with thick yellow anthers at the center.

It bears small round green fruits which turn purple when ripe and resemble tiny eggplants.

It is a tough shrub which can grow in rocky and clay soils and springs up in areas recovering from wildfires or other disturbances.

Like most other members of genus Solanum, S. umbelliferum contains toxic alkaloids.