Roella incurva is a branched shrublet of up to 40 cm with incurving, narrow, awl-like leaves. They are often hard, hairy and toothed with spiny prickles. More leaves often grow in axillary tufts. The stems are covered in white hairs.
The flowers are sessile, growing in groups of up to three at stem-tips. The narrow bracts at the flower base are longer than the leaves.
The five blue, white or sometimes pink petals form a cup at their lower ends, spreading and recurving while tapering gracefully towards their pointed lobe tips. There is usually a conspicuous dark blotch, sometimes ringed with white, midway up each petal at the rim of the cup.
The species distribution is in the southwest of the Western Cape, from the Cape Peninsula northwards to Tulbagh and eastwards to Swellendam.
The habitat is fynbos slopes in sandstone derived soils. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).