Hibiscus furcellatus is a coarse perennial herb or subshrub that grows 1–2.5 meters tall. The young branches, petioles, and pedicels are densely stellate pubescent and often have setose, pustulate-based, simple hairs that are 0.5–2 mm long. The leaves are simple and alternate, with blades that are ovate or sometimes orbicular in outline, measuring 5–15 cm long and wide. They can be unlobed or deeply 3-lobed or 5(7)-lobed, with a cordate base. The surfaces are stellate tomentose and sometimes setose on the veins, with glandular serrate to glandular dentate margins. The midvein on the lower surface has a basal gland. Leaves are petiolate with filiform stipules, 4–8 mm long, and caducous, leaving an elliptic scar. The flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils or in racemes, with stout pedicels that are 1-2 cm long and not articulate but deciduous at the point of insertion. Involucral bracts are usually 10-14, linear, 10-15 mm long, and apex bifid. The flowers are bisexual (perfect). The calyx is 1.8–2.5 cm long, extending up to 4 cm in fruit, stellate pubescent, and hirsute with simple hairs, especially on the 10 prominent veins. Each median vein has an elongated gland above the middle. The corolla is actinomorphic (radially symmetric) to moderately zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetric), rotate to campanulate or tubular, with the lower surface usually densely pubescent. The corolla has 5 petals that are obovate, pale magenta to rose, more deeply colored at the base, 5–9 cm long, distinct from each other but adnate at the base to the staminal column, and convolute in the bud. Stamens are monadelphous, forming a staminal column that is included and maroon, with anthers monothecal and pollen that is globose and echinate. The ovary is superior, 5-celled, or rarely appearing 10-celled by a vertical partition, with carpels borne in a single whorl or rarely seemingly superposed whorls. Placentation is axile, with 3 or more ovules per cell. The style exceeds the staminal column, 5-branched, each branch terminated by an expanded stigma. The fruit is a loculicidal-dehiscent capsule ovoid-apiculate and enclosed by the calyx, measuring 2–2.5 cm long, thin-walled, and hirsute. The exocarp and endocarp sometimes separate at maturity. Seeds are angular-reniform or rounded-reniform, 2.8–3.5 mm long, glabrous or papillate. It is found in wet, disturbed areas at 90 – 240 meters.