Geniostoma tinifolium var. tinifolium is a shrub or small tree 1.2-15 m tall; stems dichotomously branched, young branches terete or nearly so, glabrous. The leaves are medium green, membranous, elliptic (oval shaped) to elliptic-oblanceolate (inversely lance shape), sometimes narrowly elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or lanceolate (lance-shaped) at 3.8-21 cm long, 1.4-7.3 cm wide. The veins are not impressed on upper surface, glabrous, margins entire, apex abruptly acuminate to acute, base narrowly to sometimes broadly cuneate (wedge-shaped), ± asymmetrical, petioles 0.6-4 cm long, stipules completely connate, forming a truncate (ending very abruptly as if cut straight across) sheath 1-4 mm long, sometimes splitting somewhat with age, slightly adnate to base of petioles, margins sometimes ciliolate. There are 3-19 flowers in pendulous, open, paniculate cymes, fragrance semen-like, glabrous throughout, peduncles weakly recurved at 9-22 mm long, elongating to 13-35 mm long in fruit. They are bisexual or functionally unisexual and actinomorphic (radially symmetric), featuring a calyx with 5-merous lobes that are connate up to half their length and a pale yellowish-green or greenish-yellow, narrowly urceolate corolla 6.5 to 19 mm long. The stamens are 5, alternipetalous, attached to the mouth of the corolla, and exserted, with glabrous or hairy filaments. The ovary is superior or partly inferior, 2– or 3-locular, with numerous amphitropous ovules and a clavate to globular stigma. Capsules broadly ovoid to subglobose-ovoid or ellipsoid-ovoid, 8-25 mm long, 2-3-valved, valves transversely wrinkled, not keeled, apex with a beak 0.5-1.5 mm long. The seeds ± winged at both ends or all around; embedded in juicy orange to red pulp; numerous; obovate; intruded on the hilar side; brown; ca. 1.8 mm long; endosperm thick; fleshy; oily; proteinaceous; with saccharose or hemicellulose; embryo small; straight. It is found in mesic to wet forests between 300-920 meters.