Stout much-branched shrub or small tree up to 4m. Bark greyish or brownish, young branches are covered with yellowish-brown, short soft hairs. Leaves oval to elliptic 15-25mm long, dark green above and grey-felted beneath with leaf margins rolled under. Bears small yellowish flowers, rather unpleasant smelling, on stalks up to 10mm long; characteristic fluffy, leaf-like bracts around the flowers.

Fruit a capsule up to 1.3cm long with a square tip and a tuft of small hairs round the rim, densely creamy-green with soft hairs.

Latin: buxus = the box tree or box-wood, folium = leaf: referring to the leaves which are like those of the Buxus genus.

Wood was used to make pipes and flutes.