Acianthus exsertus R.Br.

Leaf cordate, 15–40 × 10–30 mm, dark green above, purple beneath (sometimes green), margin entire. Flower stem 100–300 mm long, pinkish, 3–25-flowered. Flowers 12–16 mm long, well-spaced, pinkish purple to dark purple with a blackish labellum and callus, occasionally wholly green. Dorsal sepal ovate, 8–9 × 3 mm, held away from column; club terete, 2–3 mm long. Lateral sepals 8–9 ×1 mm, parallel; clubs terete, 2–3 mm long. Petals ovate, 4–5 ×1.5 mm, reflexed back against ovary. Labellum cordate when flattened, smooth, 5–6 × 3.5–4 mm, margins recurved, not toothed. Callus fleshy, papillate near apex; glands c. 1 mm long, comma-shaped.

Found from the coast to the ranges, but most common in foothills and mountains; growing on sheltered slopes and gullies in moist, humid forest and woodland in freely draining loams and clay loams; less common in coastal areas where it's usually found in coastal scrub, often under bracken in sandy soils.