Blepharis capensis is a spiny perennial shrub that branches much and grows to more than 1,5 m. Its leaves cluster on the stems and vary in size. Some have sharp spines on the margins, others are only markedly toothed. The creamy white flowers grow in short spikes. They have short tubes and one-lipped corollas with three lobes at the tips. Blooming happens in spring and summer.

Blepharis is a genus within the Acanthaceae family. B. capensis is common in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape karroid regions, also found in the Northern Cape. The plant is not threatened (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).