This member of the Relhania group of Asteraceae, which are largely endemic to southern Africa, is striking for its tall stems covered in sharp, rigid leaves and its large flower heads with dark orange-yellow flowers.

Relhania speciosa, commonly known as Perdekaroo, is a tall, sparsely branched shrub up to 2 m high with long slender stems covered in spreading or recurved, rigid grey-green leaves. The leaves are hard and spine-tipped, making the plant well suited for survival in arid parts of the Cape Floristic Region. The flower heads are solitary at the ends of the branches; they are surrounded by layers of pale brown involucral bracts and florets which are dark yellow to orange. The plants flower in spring and summer.