Rosette leaves 5–10, elliptic to ovate, 15–40 x 8–20mm. Flower stem 200–45 tall, 2– across, 1–6-flowered. Stem bracts 4–6. Flowers porrect to semi-erect, on long stalks, 250–35 long (including free points), 12–1 wide, translucent white with green or brown lines and chequered markings. Dorsal sepal point filamentous, 15–2 long, often sharply bent at base, erect. Lateral sepals often reflexed back towards ovary, wider than hood, shallowly to deeply concave, margins incurved, hairy; free points filamentous, 90–13 long, dangling, parallel or divergent. Petals with vestigial basal flanges, 18–22 x 7–8.5mm. Labellum elliptic, gently curved, 10–13 x 3–4mm, narrowed to base, dark red-brown, broadly channelled to almost concave, apex with unusual beak; margins shallowly scalloped (appearing wavy) with 16–20 spreading bristles c. long; two prominent bristles 6– long projecting from near base; basal lobe long and narrow, 6– long, thin, with apical tuft of short bristles.
Widespread but disjunct and localised; in Leichhardt District of central Qld it grows in shallow soil on sandstone sheets and ledges; in Darling Downs of Qld and NSW it grows among granite boulders on hilltops and upper slopes and ridges of low hills in drier forests, particularly box forest and mixed eucalypt/Callitris forest in freely draining sands or gravelly soils; also flat areas of Callitris woodland; rarely it occurs on moist sandy flats in coastal heathland of N NSW; in Victoria it grows among scattered shrubs in grey box forest and mallee vegetation in shallow stony soil.
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