Cola greenwayi is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing to around , either
monoecious or
dioecious. The smaller branches and twigs are brown and densely hairy at first. The leaves are alternate, purplish-brown when young and dark green and leathery when older, up to . They are stalked, simple, elliptical or oblanceolate, and have prominent veins. There is a hairy swelling known as a
pulvinus at the base of each leaf-blade, which acts as a hinge. The flowers are in clusters growing in the axils of the leaves. They have small, rusty-brown, hairy bracts. The
calyx has four to six lobes and there are no petals. The four to five
carpels turn yellowish-orange when ripe, making a sub-globose fruit, hairy at first, and later with a thin, brittle rind. It usually contains one or two seeds. ==Distribution and habitat==