This species is characterized by its combination of stipules that are shortly fused at the base, elliptic tough-textured somewhat small leaves, and shortly pedunculate inflorescences with three subsessile well developed flowers. The corolla tubes are 16-18 mm long and unusual in this genus, with densely villous pubescence internally in the upper part of the tube. Ladenbergia shawistigma is known from only one collection (which was cited twice in the protologue) and was found in an ecologically unusual, botanically very poorly known region. Ladenbergia shawistigma is similar to Ladenbergia pauciflora, which has inflorescences with ca. 10 flowers and longer corollas. Ladenbergia shawistigma is also similar to Ladenbergia siranensis, with larger branched inflorescences.