Charpentiera obovata is a tree species that can reach heights of up to 4.5 to 6 meters and often exhibits a shrubby growth form. The stems are 0.6 to 1.8 mm in diameter directly below the apex, with internodes ranging from 0.7 to 16 mm in length. The apices and leaf primordia are pale brown tomentose. The leaves are simple and alternate, with blades that are obovate to somewhat elliptic, measuring 3 to 12.5 cm in length and 1 to 5.5 cm in width. The leaf apex can be acute, obtuse, or rounded, while the base is either acute or obtuse. The surfaces of the leaves are either glabrous or pubescent and somewhat coriaceous. The margins are entire and usually feature well-developed marginal ribs. There are 10 to 15 pairs of lateral veins, which are generally glabrous. The petioles range from 0.2 to 5.5 cm long, and stipules are absent. The flowers appear in single axillary panicles, which are 1 to 2 branched, either reddish brown pubescent or glabrous. The panicles are 10 to 40 cm long, with 5 to 20 primary branches, each measuring 2 to 20 cm long. A bract subtends each branch, 0.6 to 1.25 mm long, and the peduncles are 1 to 5 cm long. The plant is gynodioecious, with both bisexual (perfect)–flowered and female plants in each population. There are 5 to 20 flowers per branch, with internodes between individual flowers measuring 3 to 9 mm long. The calyx comprises five distinct, imbricate, subequal sepals that are 1.5 to 2.25 mm long and 3 to 5-veined. The corolla (petals) is absent. There are five stamens and staminodes, with filaments forming a short, membranous tube, and the anthers are exserted at anthesis. The ovary is superior, globose or urceolate, 1.5 to 2 mm long, with an absent or very short style and two straight or recurved stigmas nearly as long as the ovary, with glands on the inner surface. The fruit is an indehiscent utricle; the seeds are black, shiny, lenticular, and approximately 1.5 mm long. It is typically found in mesic to sometimes wet forests at elevations ranging from 190-1,750 meters.