Ardisia subverticillata is a new addition to the flora of Peninsular Malaysia (Julius & Utteridge, 2012). It belongs to the subgenus Bladhia (Myrsinaceae), which is characterised by a herbaceous or subshrub habit, serrulate-denticulate leaf margins that lack glands along the margin, and racemose or compound racemose lateral inflorescences borne in the axils of leaves or reduced leaf-like bracts.

It is endemic to Perak, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu. This species occurs in primary montane forest at 1219–1433 m above sea level.

This species is rather common and healthy populations were observed during recent fieldwork in Fraser’s Hill and Cameron Highlands, Pahang. Therefore, Ardisia subverticillata is classified as ‘Least Concern’ under IUCN conservation status criteria.

Ardisia subverticillata reaching 2.5 m tall is considered large compared to other members in subgenus Bladhia. As the name suggests, this species has well-spaced pseudowhorls or pseudoverticils of leaves along the stem. The petioles are 3–10 mm long the leaves are sometimes subsessile. The 8−17(−31) cm-long inflorescences are terminal or axillary, compound-racemose appearing umbellate paniculate. The flowers number 2−6(−10) per inflorescence branch. The calyx lobes (1−1.2 mm long) are pink, triangular and the margin is ciliate with short, thick hairs. The white or pink corolla lobes are lanceolate-ovate (3−4 × 1.5−2 mm) and the apex is acute, with an elongated gland-dot. The five stamens have short filaments and the anthers are ovate-lanceolate (ca. 2 mm long). The slender filiform style is glabrous and 2−4 mm long, while the stigma is short. The glabrous fruit (6 −10 × 5−9 mm) is globose or subglobose and red when ripe.