Stems slightly compressed, cylindric, 40-70 cm, upper part slender, with 3 or 4 internodes dilated and fusiform above base, dilated portion of stem to 2 cm in diam., often with longitudinal ridges. Leaves distichous on middle part of stem, ovate-oblong, ca. 6 × 2.5 cm, leathery, with clasping sheaths at base, apex obtuse and unequally bilobed. Inflorescences arising from distal leafless part of stem, usually solitary; floral bracts elliptic, ca. 6 × 2.5 mm. Pedicel and ovary pale red, ca. 15 mm. Flowers lasting for 1 day, initiated 9 days after a rapid temperature drop, strongly fragrant, spreading; sepals and petals white or sometimes tipped pink, lip white, keels yellow, column and anther cap white. Dorsal sepal ovate-lanceolate, 17-22 × ca. 5 mm, slightly obtuse; lateral sepals obliquely ovate-lanceolate, slightly larger than dorsal sepal; mentum narrowly conic, to 15 mm. Petals obovate-oblong, 17-20 × to 7 mm, subacute; lip 24-25 × 13-18(or more) mm, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, subobovate, subtruncate; mid-lobe obovate, ca. 12 × 10 mm, margin crenulate and crisped, mucronate; disk with 5 keeled ridges with denticulate margin. Column ca. 3 mm.
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Plants forming large, untidy clumps. Pseudobulbs 300–700 mm long, 8–12 mm at widest point, yellowish; upper section 1–3 mm wide. Leaves in 2 rows, confined to central thin part, 50–80 × 10–20 mm, thick, leathery, blunt. Flowers 30–40 × 30–40 mm, white, strongly scented, lasting few hours. Sepals and petals spreading widely, thin-textured, with wavy margins. Dorsal sepal 15–18 × 5–6mm. Lateral sepals 16–20 × 6–8 mm. Petals 15–18 × 5.5–6.5 mm. Labellum 20–24 × 13–15 mm; lateral lobes erect; midlobe broadly rounded with 5 yellow keels.
An epiphyte growing in humid regions, or regions with a short dry season, in open forest and on wayside trees, sometimes on boulders, locally numerous; at elevations from sea-level up to 1,000 metres.
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Widespread and common; found growing on trees and rocks in exposed situations in lowland rainforest and beach scrub.
As Dendrobium crumenatum it features on a Christmas Island 45c postage stamp, part of a series of 5 stamps on indigenous orchids, issued 16 August 1994.
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