Flowering and non-flowering plants dissimilar, growing as individuals. Non-flowering plants consist of rosette of 3–6 stalked dark green ovate leaves 5–18 x 3–8mm. Flowering plants have no basal rosette but consist of a wiry flower stem 50–20 long, 3–10 stalkless stem leaves 30–60 x 3– and terminal raceme of flowers. Flowers 1–6, porrect, 15–20 x 5–7mm, translucent white with sparkling silica granules, mostly with dark green and brown markings but sometimes nearly wholly rusty-red. Dorsal sepal with acuminate point 2– long. Lateral sepals deflexed, 11–13 x 5–6mm, margins incurved, fused in basal third; free points filamentous, 4– long, brownish. Petals with prominent marginal teeth and mass of specialised stiff hairs blocking off inside of hood. Labellum 4–5 x 2.5mm, black and brown, hairy, prominently 3-lobed; side lobes each with large erect inflated hollow horn-like structure; midlobe c. long, tapered.
Widely distributed but often localised, growing in open forest, sheoak woodland and mallee shrubland in freely draining sands and sandy clays carpeted with leaf litter; also in crevices and pockets on granite outcrops.
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