Shrub or small tree to 8 m high. Young stems and leaves floccose-villose, becoming glabrous. Leaves opposite, decussate; lamina broadly ovate to suborbicular, 2–3.5 cm long, 1.4–2.7 cm wide, rounded to cordate at base, very shortly and abruptly acuminate at apex, coriaceous, flat, not glossy; lateral veins evident, close-set, 0.3–0.5 mm apart, without intermediate reticulate veins (but with occasional fine anastomosing veins). Inflorescence cymose-corymbose, 9–12-flowered; axes and surface of hypanthia densely whitish villose. Hypanthium 4–5 mm long. Sepals triangular, 3–4 mm long, persistent. Petals orbicular to spathulate, 3–5 mm long. Filaments 17–23 mm long, deep red, occasionally yellow. Fruit 6–8 mm long; valves included or level with hypanthium rim.
Occurs usually from c. 350 m to the summits of mountains, more rarely at a lower altitude. Occurs as a stunted shrub to c. 1 m high on exposed ridges, to a tree 8 m high in forest (Hutton 2002: 76). The two endemic Metrosideros species on Lord Howe Island have ecological preferences, with M. nervulosa occupying drier, more exposed sites at higher elevations (c. 57–875 m) and M. sclerocarpa preferring wetter conditions close to streams at lower elevations (c. 10–481 m) (Osborne et al. 2020).
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