Gloveria integrifolia is a conspicuous shrub in the Little Karoo where it may grow like this to be noticed. The pale branch shows spines and leaves as well as the slightly angled turns at each node of the stem.

The spine tips are contrastingly dark, compared to the whitish stem surfaces. There may be up to five dwarf spur-branchlets per spine (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Coates Palgrave, 2002).