Perennial herb, shrub or small tree up to 12 m tall; young branches densely tomentose. Leaves alternate, simple, sessile; blade elliptical to lanceolate, 5.5–34 cm × 1–9.5 cm, cuneate to long-attenuate and sometimes auriculate at base, acuminate at apex, margin minutely to coarsely toothed, pubescent below, pinnately veined. Inflorescence a head, arranged in terminal, compound, umbel-like cymes; involucre ovoid to hemispherical, 1.5–4 cm long, bracts 2–6-seriate, up to 3.5 cm long, with green or white appendages, recurved or not. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, strongly exserted from the involucre; pappus consisting of many-seriate bristles, up to 1.5 cm long, pale brown; corolla tubular, 1–2 cm long, whitish to purple, glandular, with short, erect lobes; stamens with anthers united into a tube, with appendages at apex; ovary inferior, 1-celled, glabrous to pubescent, style hairy, 2-branched. Fruit a ribbed achene 3–6.5 mm long, glabrous to slightly pubescent, dark brown, crowned by the much longer, caducous pappus bristles.

Purgative (root decoction)

PROTAbase: Vernonia hymenolepis

The plant is used medicinally as a cure for pneumonia, and a hot leaf placed on a wound is said to stop bleeding. Juice from crushed leaves is used to treat diarrhea in babies and jaundice. A root decoction is used to treat abdominal pains.