Cyrtandra pickeringii is a small shrub that grows only 1 to 2 meters tall. Its stems are apparently branched, rounded to angular, and can be pubescent with multicellular hairs or glabrate. The leaves are simple and opposite, borne on the upper three to seven nodes. The leaves of a pair are usually unequal but nearly symmetrical, taking on an oblanceolate, elliptic-oblanceolate, or occasionally elliptic shape. They range from 9.5 to 28 cm long and 2.6 to 7.5 cm wide. The apex is long-acuminate, while the base is long-attenuate. The upper surfaces are moderately to sparsely hirtellous, densely so when young, whereas the lower surfaces are moderately to densely velvety pilose, with hairs that are yellowish brown, becoming purplish brown on the petiole. The blades are chartaceous, with serrate margins. The petioles range from 1.3 to 8.8 cm long, with the base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules are absent. The flowers occur singly or in clusters of up to six in open cymes arising in the leaf axils. The entire inflorescence is densely shaggy, dark reddish brown villous. The peduncles are stout, measuring 15–40 mm long, while the pedicels are slender, 15–30 mm long. The bracts are lanceolate, distinct, or occasionally connate and measure 8–15 mm long. The flowers are bisexual (perfect). The calyx is nearly actinomorphic (radially symmetric), broadly saucer-shaped, measuring 8–12 mm long, and cleft about ¼ to ½ its length. The lobes are broadly elliptic, long-villous, and moderately so within, with an acuminate apex, and are deciduous or persistent in fruit. The corolla is usually bilabiate and white, with a cylindrical, curved tube measuring 7–10 mm long, and is moderately villous. The lobes are unknown. The five stamens are inserted about halfway up the corolla tube, with the two upper stamens being fertile and the others staminodial with abortive anthers. The fertile anthers are coherent and positioned in the throat of the corolla tube, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits or occasionally by apical pores. The ovary is superior, oblong-ovoid, two-carpellate, and one-celled, with parietal placentation. The placentas are two and ± intruded, rarely joined in the center to divide the ovary into two cells. The ovules are numerous and anatropous. The ovary is glabrous, with an apex that is either rounded or with a stylar beak. The style measures about 7–8 mm long and is sparsely pilose. The stigma is capitate and two-lobed, with the lobes usually elliptic. The fruit is a fleshy or firm white berry, ellipsoid in shape, measuring approximately 1.5 cm long when immature. It is glabrous and often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. The seeds are numerous, ellipsoid, and minute, usually less than 1 mm long, with a reticulate surface. It is found in diverse mesic forests between 150-340 meters.