Deeringia polysperma is a herb or undershrub that can grow up to 1-2 m tall. The young stems, petioles, leaves, rachises of the spikes, bracts and bracteoles are frequently covered with short, brown hairs that become glabrescent. Its leaves are slightly fleshy, ovate to elliptic, the base cuneate to shortly contracted, the apex acute to slightly acuminate. The inflorescences are spikes up to 12 cm long, usually unbranched, lax to dense. The flowers are quite sessile with very obtuse, white-bordered green tepals. The fruit is a globose or broadly ellipsoid berry and becomes white when ripe with many seeds.

This species distribution is scattered from Peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra, Java, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Maluku and New Guinea. In Peninsular Malaysia, this species has been often found on limestone at the base of cliff faces and has also been recorded from granite rocks, usually in partly shaded places. Although widespread, this species is not found to be common.