Rhizome 100–150 × 5–10 mm, fleshy, white, with overlapping fleshy bracts. Peduncle with numerous overlapping bracts. Flowerhead 15–30 mm wide, conical, fleshy. Sterile sheathing bracts surrounding flowerhead, about 18, triangular, 1-veined, 6–8 × 2–3 mm, overlapping, drab white, becoming reddish or purplish on exposure. Short floral bracts subtending flowers, c. 7 × 3 mm, triangular, 1-veined. Flowers 15–30 per head, tubular, 6–8 × 3 mm, creamy white maturing to pink, red, maroon or purplish. Sepals and petals free, remaining in close proximity, labellum protruding between lateral sepals. Dorsal sepal 3–3.5 × 1.8–2 mm, including an apical point c. 0.5 mm long. Lateral sepals 3.5–4 × 2–2.2 mm, including an apical point c. 1.5 mm long. Petals 2–2.3 × 1.5 mm. Labellum broadly heart-shaped, c. 2 × 2 mm, curved, fleshy, dark red, papillate. Fruit a drupe, yellow, containing 16–900 seeds.
In stark contrast with Western Australia's Rhizanthella gardneri, this eastern species occurs in areas with a high and reliable rainfall; Bulahdelah for example, where most of the research on R. slateri has been carried out, has an annual rainfall of c. 1,350 mm per annum. R. slateri is found in a range of forested habitats all of which include shrubs and trees in the family Myrtaceae, particularly open forest and woodland with species of Angophora, Corymbia, Eucalyptus, Leptospermum and Melaleuca. Other diverse habitats include wet sclerophyll forest, littoral rainforest and streambank vegetation with species of Syncarpia and Tristaniopsis. Soils are mostly freely draining sand or loam. Apart from the general importance of myrtaceous plants, no tree or shrub species forms a common link between the localities.
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