Dubautia microcephala is a shrub or small tree that can grow up to approximately 4 meters tall, with relatively few spreading branches. The stems are glabrous or very sparsely pilose. The leaves are opposite, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, measuring 10–24 cm long and 9–25 mm wide. They have 11–17 closely spaced veins, either obscurely or occasionally markedly reticulate with elongated areolae. The leaves are generally glabrous, though the lower surface may occasionally be sparsely hirsute. The margins are toothed from the apex to less than halfway to the base. The apex is long-acuminate, while the base is attenuate and connate, sometimes weakly so. The flowers occur in numerous small heads within elongate, somewhat congested to lax, pyramidal, paniculate inflorescences that can reach up to 35 cm long and 30 cm wide. The peduncles are white villous, with the ultimate ones being capillary and usually 1–3 mm long. The receptacle is flat or nearly so, and the false involucre consists of a single series of 4–7 peripheral, basally connate or coherent, obovate to oblanceolate receptacular bracts that are 2.5–3.5 mm long. These bracts are usually dark purple to black and white villous. Each head contains 4–7 florets, with reflexed yellow corollas and 2–3 mm long. The corolla tube is inconspicuously glandular. The pappus comprises 19–23 very narrowly linear-lanceolate, short-ciliate bristles measuring 2–3 mm long. The fruit is an achene, approximately 4–6 mm long (including the pappus), and sparsely to moderately hispid. It is found in mesic forests between 570-1,275 meters.