Apostasia wallichii is a terrestrial, tuberous, evergreen herb, scarcely recognisable as an orchid.

It has wiry, branched roots with fleshy, warty projections and an erect, fibrous stem with many grass-like leaves arranged in whorls along it.

Brown's manuscript was published in Nathaniel Wallich's book, Plantae Asiaticae Rariores.

[7] The yellow grass orchid grows in tropical forest and rainforest, sometimes near streams at altitudes of up to 1,000 m (3,000 ft).

It is found in Hainan, south-west Yunnan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, southern Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, New Guinea and Queensland where if occurs between Bamaga and Ingham.