This species is characterized by a shrub habit, sylleptic branching, small to robust leaves, shortly cymose pedunculate inflorescences, yellow to orange corollas ca. 5 mm long, and medium-sized purple-black fruits. It is deciduous and flowers as the leaves flush. This species is apparently not spiny. The leaves are usually hirtellous abaxially, and the tertiary and quaternay venation is areolate. This species is variable in leaf size and form and peduncle length. Chomelia ribesioides is characteristically found in seasonally dry habitats, and some of its morphological variation is likely to be correlated with local environmental factors.