It is a ground orchid with a single narrow, sparsely hairy leaf and a thin wiry stem usually bearing one pale mauve, pinkish or white flower.

It has an underground tuber and a single sparsely hairy, bright green, narrow linear leaf up to 5–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) wide.

[3]One, sometimes up to five, unscented flowers up to 11–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) in diameter are borne on a thin, wiry spike, 1–30 cm (0.4–10 in) tall.

Flowering occurs between September and January and is followed from December to April by the fruit which is a green, oval-shaped capsule 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long which sometimes has purple stripes.

[1] This caladenia grows in sunny position in scrub but also in old-growth forests and frequently in mature pine plantations.