It grows 50–70 cm (20–28 in) tall and bears ascending herbaceous branches. The bark is smooth and light green. It bears numerous pale green flowers which are often flushed with red. The fruits are tiny, smooth capsules containing seeds.

A 2011 Cochrane review found that there is “no convincing evidence that phyllanthus, compared with placebo, benefits patients with chronic HBV (hepatitis B virus) infection.”^[3]