Cyrtandra paliku is a subshrub ranging from 30–75 cm in height, often branching from the base with each major stem being erect and either unbranched or possessing 2 or 3 additional short branchlets up to about 25 cm long. It is notably shaggy with dark reddish-brown trichomes 3–5 mm long. The stems are erect and thick, about 6.8 mm in diameter, prominently ringed with leaf scars, and covered in dense, shaggy, long-villous hair. The leaves are simple and opposite, clustered at the upper 3 to 7 nodes. The blades are usually falcate, elliptic to oblanceolate, and range from 7–18 cm long and 4.5–9 cm wide. Typically, the leaves in a pair are unequal, with one being 30–50% larger than the other and strongly asymmetrical. The apex of each leaf is acuminate while the base is attenuate to cuneate and inequilateral, with one side being significantly shorter. The upper surfaces of the leaves are moderately villous, and the lower surfaces are densely long-villous along the veins, with the hairs being longer and more conspicuous toward the base. The leaves are thick with finely crenate-serrulate margins. Petioles range from 2.5–4(–7) cm long and are densely covered in long-villous hair, sometimes clasping the stem or forming a perfoliate connection. Stipules are absent. The flowers occur in cymes with two orders of branching, including 1–9 flowers, with internodes, peduncles, and pedicels all densely long-villous. The peduncles are 8–20 mm long, and the pedicels range from 11–15 mm. The flowers are perfect (bisexual). The calyx is weakly zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetric) and pale green, ellipsoid, 12–17 mm long, splitting to about a third of its length, glabrous inside except for a few hairs on the distal portion of the lobes and villous on the outside, remaining after anthesis. The corolla is usually bilabiate and white, with a narrow funnelform tube that curves slightly upward, measuring 14–15 mm long, glabrous on the outside, and glandular-puberulent inside around the lobes and throat—stamens number five, with the upper two fertile and the others forming staminodes. The ovary is superior, oblong-ovoid, and 2-carpellate with a capitate, 2-lobed stigma. The fruits are approximately 10 mm long, ellipsoid, and glabrous.  It is only known from the north-facing wet cliffs of Kekoiki in the Makaleha Mountains of northeastern Kauaʻi, between 800-850 meters.