Choristylis rhamnoides is a scrambler or small tree of up to 4 meters. In nature it is encountered on forest margins. It has simple spirally arranged leaves and during spring it bears small greenish flowers. It is commonly known as Baster-blinkblaar or Vals-blinkblaar in Afrikaans and False Dogwood, False Glossy-leaf, False Shiny-leaf or Mock Glossy-leaf in English. It is indigenous to South Africa and can be found in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces.