Coprosma cordicarpa is a species that ranges from shrubs to trees, reaching heights of 2-7 meters. It features one to many main stems, with young stems exhibiting sparse pubescence to puberulence. Juvenile plants are noticeably more trichome-dense than their mature counterparts. The leaves are simple and opposite, with lanceolate blades measuring 20-56 x 8-25 mm. These leaves have an acute or sometimes rounded apex and a cuneate base. The leaf surfaces may be sparsely pilose or glabrous, with a sparsely puberulent midrib towards the base. Notably, domatia are present on the abaxial surface in the secondary vein axils, and the margins are entire. The petioles are 5-12 mm long, and stipules are deltate, 2-3 mm long, partially connate, with a base ranging from puberulent to lanate. It flowers from axillary positions, with male inflorescences consisting of a 3-flowered cyme on an unbranched or sometimes branched peduncle. Female inflorescences are solitary or branched, with insect-pollinated flowers, unisexual, and often heterostylous. The calyx of staminate flowers is irregularly toothed and urceolate to campanulate, while female calyxes are similarly toothed and encompass the corolla. The fruit is a drupe, characterized by its juicy texture and reddish-orange to lemony-yellow color, sometimes with red to reddish-purple epidermal flecks. The fruits are heart-shaped, tapering towards the base, and measure 7-10 x 5-7 mm when dry. They are crowned with a persistent calyx and contain two (sometimes three) plano-convex pyrenes that are yellowish-white. It is found in dry forest/shrubland habitats, primarily in open areas receiving direct sunlight, though it can also inhabit gulches and high-elevation forests. It occupies an elevation range of 1,000–2,000 meters.