[3] Robert Elias Fries, the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its many flowers (Latinized forms of Greek πολυς, polus; and ανθος, anthos).

Its young dark brown branches are densely covered in rust-colored hairs but become hairless with age.

The upper surfaces of the leaves are smooth; the undersides are grey-green, at first densely covered with long silver hairs that lay flat, and then densely covered loose silky hairs.

The petioles are at first densely covered in rust-colored hairs, but become hairless as they mature.

Its flowers have 3 oval to triangular sepals that are 1–3 millimeters long, with shallowly pointed tips.

The flowers have thread-like stigma that are 3.5 millimeters long with styles that are bent at their base.The fruit occur in clusters of 5–10.

[7] It has been observed growing in clay soils, in secondary forests at elevations of up to 900 meters.