Cyanea shipmanii of the Campanulaceae (bellflower) family, is an unbranched or few-branched shrub 2.5 to 4 m (8 to 13 ft) tall with small sharp projections, especially in young plants. The alternate, stalked leaves are 17 to 30 cm (6.7 to 12 in) long, 7 to 14 cm (2.8 to 5.5 in) wide, and deeply cut into 20 to 30 lobes per leaf. Flowers are covered with fine hairs and are clustered in groups of 10 to 15, the main stalk 1 to 3 cm (0.4 to 1.2 in) long and each flower stalk 1 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 in) long. The hypanthium is topped with five small calyx lobes. The pale greenish-white petals, 3 to 3.6 cm (1.2 to 1.4 in) long, are fused into a curved five-lobed tube 3 to 4 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide. The fruit is an ellipsoid berry.