Schiedea obovata is a suberect or ascending branched shrub, reaching 30–100 cm in height, and is glabrous except for the leaf margins. Its stems are often swollen at the nodes and can be cylindrical, 4-angled, or ridged. The lateral branches of the primary stems usually extend several nodes below the inflorescence. The leaves are simple and opposite, with elliptic to broadly elliptic, sometimes obovate or oblanceolate blades measuring 4–11 cm in length and 1.5–6.8 cm in width. The leaf apex is mucronate, and the bases are often connate around the stem. The blades are thick, somewhat fleshy, light green, turning yellowish white toward the base and apex, with entire, serrulate margins featuring antrorsely hooked hairs. Leaves have three principal veins and sometimes an inconspicuous looping pair near the margins. The petioles are 1–3.8 cm long, yellowish white, and weakly to conspicuously connate around the stem. Stipules are absent. The flowers are in pseudoaxillary inflorescences with 22–33 somewhat congested flowers. The bracts are much smaller than the uppermost leaves, usually curled and twisted, with the lowest pair reaching up to 1.4 cm long. Peduncles are 2–25 mm long, not elongating much in fruit, with lateral inflorescence branch internodes 2–10 mm long. The pedicels are 15–30 mm long, mainly elongating just before anthesis. The bisexual, pendent flowers appear adapted for bird pollination. The calyx has 4–6 sepals that vary on the same plant, measuring 7–8.4 mm long and 5.5–6 mm wide, enlarging to 9–12 mm long and 8–9 mm wide in fruit. The sepals are white adaxially and pale green abaxially, with the inner ones elliptic to obovate and greenish white with a green midrib, becoming dark purple and fleshy as the fruit matures. The corolla is absent. There are 8–12 stamens with 4.4–5 mm long, subequal filaments and 1.9–2.65 mm long anthers that change from pale reddish purple at anthesis to a darker shade. The pollen is gray. The ovary is superior and 1-celled, with free-central ovule placentation and 4–8 filiform styles. The stigma is receptive around the distal half or nearly throughout its length, slightly enlarged, and papillose. The fruit is a 9–12 mm long capsule, ovoid to subglobose, enclosed by or exserted from the persistent dried calyx, dehiscing at maturity by 4–11 valves. The seeds are relatively few to numerous, 0.8–1.0 mm long, with viable seeds being black or dark or light brown, and inviable ones usually reddish-brown. The seeds are reniform, sometimes nearly smooth, with a starchy perisperm and no true endosperm. It is rare and scattered on ridges and slopes in diverse mesic forests between 550-800 meters.