This species is characterized by its glabrescent habit, rather short rounded stipules, stiff-textured elliptic or elliptic-oblong leaves with well developed acuminate tips and apparently without domatia, pedunculate spiciform inflorescences with the flowers borne in small groups or on very short secondary axes, somewhat well developed truncate calyx limbs, medium-sized corollas with the tubes longer than the lobes, and ellipsoid fruits. The corollas are slender in bud.

Coussarea fanshawei is similar to Coussarea hallei, which has inflorescences with regularly developed secondary axes and corollas that are a bit larger.