Olearia arborescens is an angular branched small native evergreen tree or shrub which grows up to 4 metres in the wild. It is found in lowland to mountain scrubland in North Island from East Cape southwards and throughout South and Stewart Islands, New Zealand. It is growing in the lower montane forests and scrub on Mt Taranaki/Egmont up to 1200 metres.

The trunk has thin, papery bark which peels in long thin flakes. O. arborescens has thin leathery, green, broad, oval-shaped leaves which are 4 – 7.5 cm long. The edges are wavy with bluntly toothed margins. The leaves are shiny on the upper surface and the under surface is silvery due to tomentum (densely matted hairs). During spring and summer, it has white flower heads with 15 - 20 individual flowers (up to 15 mm) on each. This shrub can be purchased in specialised nurseries.