Cyanea kunthiana is a shrub 0.5 to 1.5 m (1.6 to 5 ft) tall with subherbaceous stems that are woody at the base and unbranched or sparingly branched. Leaves are elliptic to narrowly obovate, with blades 12 to 30 cm (4.7 to 12 in) long and 3 to 7 cm (1.2 to 2.8 in) wide, with the upper surface green and sparsely pubescent and the lower surface whitish green and pubescent. Inflorescences are 8- to 24-flowered, with peduncles 6 to 25 mm (0.2 to 1 in) long. Calyx lobes are narrowly triangular. The corolla is whitish with pale lilac longitudinal stripes, or dark purplish, 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 in) long, 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in) wide, and with a slightly curved tube. Berries are purplish orange, obovoid to ellipsoid and 7 to 8 mm (0.28 to 0.31 in) long.