Newtonia hildebrandtii is a fairly large tree growing to a height of about . The trunk is usually smooth and some shade of grey or greyish brown, and the small twigs are densely covered with reddish-brown hairs when young. The leaves are alternate and bi-pinnate, up to long, each leaf having one or two pairs of
pinnae, and each pinna having two to three pairs of leaflets. There is a short gland between each pair of pinnae and further short glands between each pair of leaflets. The leaflets are linear or oblong and up to , with stalked and wedge-shaped bases and rounded apexes. The
inflorescence is a dense hairy spike up to long at the tip of the twig or in a leaf axil. The white flowers are bisexual and have parts in fives. They are followed by reddish-brown, flattened pods up to . The seeds are flat and oblong, with a papery wing. ==Distribution and habitat==