Cyrtandra giffardii is a shrubby tree, reaching heights of 2–6 meters, with many branches, rounded to angular stems that are either pubescent with multicellular hairs or becoming smoother. The leaves are simple, opposite, and found on the upper 3–4 nodes of the stem, with each pair being unequal and symmetrical, ranging in size from 6–15 cm long and 2.5–4.6 cm wide, and shaped from elliptic to elliptic–obovate. The leaf apex ranges from acute to short-acuminate, and the base from cuneate to attenuate. The upper surfaces are sparsely hirtellous, and the lower surfaces are either glabrous or sparsely puberulent along the veins, becoming smoother with age. The leaves are chartaceous with serrulate or occasionally serrate margins. Petioles are 2–4 cm long, sometimes clasping the stem. The flowers occur in umbelliform cymes of 3–5, usually in the upper leaf axils, with peduncles 25–35 mm long and pedicels of unequal length (15–30 mm). The calyx is nearly actinomorphic, green, and 3–9 mm long, with very narrowly deltate lobes. The corolla is typically bilabiate and white, around 12 mm long, with a cylindrical tube. It has five stamens, with the upper two being fertile. The ovary is superior, oblong–ovoid, and 2-carpellate with parietal placentation. The fruit is a white, subglobose to ovoid berry, approximately 1 cm long, often retaining a persistent stylar beak. The seeds are numerous, ellipsoid, minute, 0.4-0.5 mm long, and have a reticulate surface. It is found in wet forests between 940-1,500 meters.