Charpentiera tomentosa var. tomentosa is a slender or robust tree that can reach heights of 6–12 m, characterized by new growth densely covered in brown hairs. The stems measure 1.75–6 mm in diameter directly below the apex, with internodes extending up to 12 mm long and apical buds that appear lateral, being overtopped by leaves. The simple, alternate leaves have obovate to subovate blades, with an apex that ranges from acute to rounded and usually retuse and an acute base to rounded. The leaf surfaces may be glabrous or pubescent, with entirely smooth margins and 10–20 pairs of lateral veins featuring strongly and prominently developed marginal ribs. The petioles are 1–11 cm long, and stipules are absent. It produces flowers in single axillary panicles that are 1–2 branched, displaying reddish-brown pubescence or being glabrous, with panicles measuring 13–50 cm in length and often being compound with 8–25 primary branches each 5–20 cm long. Each panicle branch is subtended by a bract, with peduncles 2–10 cm long, and the plant is gynodioecious, hosting both bisexual (perfect) and female flowers within each population, with several to 20–30 flowers per branch and internodes between individual flowers measuring 0.8–11 mm long. The calyx is composed of 5 distinct, imbricate, subequal sepals, 1.5–2.5 mm long and 3–5-veined, with absent corolla (petals), and stamens and staminodes numbering 5; filaments are connate at the base to form a short, membranous tube with short, rounded flaps of tissue alternating with the filaments, and anthers are exserted at anthesis. The fruit is an indehiscent utricle with black and shiny seeds, lenticular, and approximately 1.5 mm long. It occurs in mesic forests at elevations ranging from 110-770 meters.