Myrsine nummularia is a native prostrate rambling shrub with trailing stems up to 50 cm long. The trunk bark is a reddish-brown. The thick and oval (1 cm long) leaves range in colour from dark greens to golden brown through to a reddish brown colour. This plant grows in rocky alpine scrub and fellfields up to 1600 m altitude. Small flowers appear in October to February and the berries change colour from a pale green to purple when they are ripe (April to May).

The Latin name ‘nummularia’ means coin, referring to the leaf shape.