Bonamia menziesii occurs as lianas and less frequently as vines or subshrubs, with twining stems, particularly the lateral branches. Its leaves are simple and alternate, with soft coriaceous, oblong-elliptic to ovate or occasionally orbicular blades, measuring 3–9 cm long and 1–4 cm wide. The leaf apex can be truncate, emarginate, obtuse, or acute, with a usually rounded base. The upper surfaces may be glabrous or possess short tomentulose hairs, while the lower surfaces are densely covered in yellowish-brown tomentose, sometimes glabrous. The margins are entire or occasionally undulate, and the petioles range from 8–25 mm in length without stipules. The flowers are solitary or sometimes in cymes on 1-2 cm long pedicels with two scale-like bracts at the base, are bisexual, actinomorphic (radial symmetry), and 5-merous. The calyx consists of 5 distinct, imbricate, soft coriaceous, persistent sepals, sericeous to glabrous, and the corolla is made up of 5 fused white to greenish white petals, funnelform, with brown hairs in bands. It has five distinct stamens, an ovary that is superior, 2-carpellate, and 2-celled, with styles that are distinct or nearly so to partly connate. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, usually with 4–8 valves, tan to yellowish brown, and contains one or occasionally two dark brown to black, glabrous seeds, surrounded by black pulp, ovoid, and 6–8 mm long by 4–5 mm wide. The seed coat is hard or soft; the perisperm is thin and transparent; cotyledons are usually foliaceous. This species is found in dry to mesic forests and rarely in wet forests, at elevations ranging from 150–625 meters.